The Count of Monte Cristo Review Sheet
Know the following:
The plot! You won’t be tested on every tiny detail, but you’ll need to know the story well enough to answer
questions and to write about it. You’ll also need to know about the notes from your COMC packet.
The characters: Study your character notes before the test and know who is who, what the relationships
are between characters, and key characterizations.
Symbols: What might the red purse symbolize? How about the sea? Think about Edmond’s swim away
from the Chateau d’If. How about the elixir/potion?
Background of the book: Look over your notes on Alexandre
Dumas, French history, Romanticism, and the Romantic/Byronic hero
Themes in the book: What do you think was the big idea about
people/humanity that is being expressed in this book? What in the
text led you to that theme? Think about these big ideas/motifs to
help you:
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revenge
fate vs. free will
justice and judgment
transformation
ambition
manipulation
hidden identity/masks
love vs. alienation/hatred
Vocabulary: We’ve studied 10 vocabulary words as we’ve read the book. Be sure you know these words
well:
 obsequious,
 auspices,
 imperious,
 recompense,
 formidable,
 usurp,
 repugnance,
 maxim,
 sanguine,
 precarious
Other Content: Be sure to review the other material we’ve studied this unit:
 Subject-Verb Agreement
 Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
 Poetry TPCASTT
Review Practice Questions:
Define the following vocabulary word and use it in a sentence: obsequious
Define the following vocabulary word and use it in a sentence: imperious
Define the following vocabulary word and use it in a sentence: formidable
Define the following vocabulary word and use it in a sentence: repugnance
Define the following vocabulary word and use it in a sentence: sanguine
Define the following vocabulary word and use it in a sentence: auspices
Define the following vocabulary word and use it in a sentence: recompense
Define the following vocabulary word and use it in a sentence: usurp
Define the following vocabulary word and use it in a sentence: maxim
Define the following vocabulary word and use it in a sentence: precarious
How does the Count view himself as an agent of Providence (or, in other words, God’s tool to bring about justice)?
Give three interesting facts about Alexandre Dumas, the author.
Analyze the human desire for revenge as shown in the novel.
Analyze the author’s use of masks and appearances vs. reality in the novel.
Analyze the individual’s quest for power in the novel.
Compare/contrast human justice with divine justice. Explain the significance.
Evaluate Dumas’s view of human nature: does evil or goodness seem stronger?
How could The Count of Monte Cristo be considered an example of Romanticism in literature?
How could the Count of Monte Cristo be considered a Byronic/Romantic hero?
Compare and contrast Edmond Dantes with the Count of Monte Cristo.
Describe the Count’s revenge against Villefort.
Describe the Count’s revenge against Danglars.
Describe the Count’s revenge against Fernand/Morcerf.
When does the Count go too far in his revenge? When does he begin to regret his actions?
How is a particular, seemingly minor, character representative of an essential theme in The Count of Monte Cristo, thus
making that character integral to the story? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.
The Count’s last words in the book are “wait and hope” (Dumas 441). Looking back over the entire novel, what
significance do these words have? Use at least 3 specific examples.
Think about how Edmond Dantes has changed over the course of the novel. Give specific evidence from the text to
support your answer.
Explain why the following theme is a possible theme for the novel using details from the novel to support your answer.
Human justice is limited, only God can really bring justice (keep in mind that the Count begins to think of himself as
God’s tool).
Explain why the following theme is a possible theme for the novel using details from the novel to support your answer.
Happiness is not a function of circumstance, but rather is a function of attitude about circumstance.
Explain why the following theme is a possible theme for the novel using details from the novel to support your answer.
Love is what keeps people sane. A lack of love turns people into loners who are alienated from society.
What could the following item from the novel symbolize? Think about all the times it occurs in the novel and what it is
linked to. The Sea
What could the following item from the novel symbolize? The Red Silk Purse
What could the following item from the novel symbolize? The Elixir/ Potion
Describe the following character and tell how he/she is significant to the story as a whole: Madame d’Villefort
Describe the following character and tell how he/she is significant to the story as a whole: Luigi Vampa
Describe the following character and tell how he/she is significant to the story as a whole: Andrea Cavalcanti
Describe the following character and tell how he/she is significant to the story as a whole: Madame Danglars
Describe the following character and tell how he/she is significant to the story as a whole: Julie and Emmanuel Morrel
Describe the following character and tell how he/she is significant to the story as a whole: Abbe Faria
Describe the following character and tell how he/she is significant to the story as a whole: Valentine d’Villefort
Describe the following character and tell how he/she is significant to the story as a whole: Albert Morcerf
Describe the following character and tell how he/she is significant to the story as a whole: Abbe Busoni
Describe the following character and tell how he/she is significant to the story as a whole: Noirter