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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where does Orpheus travel to sing songs of Eurydice?

2. In the story "Visilisa the Beautiful," from whom does Visilisa try to escape?

3. What does the devil ask Katcha to do at the start of "Katcha and the Devil"?

4. In "The Well-Baked Man," what animal distracts the magician from his task?

5. What happens to the doctor at the end of "The Doctor and His Pupil"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does no one want to be around the bad wife in the story "The Bad Wife"? Who ends up with her at the end?

2. How does the poor man outsmart the rich man in "Rich Man, Poor Man"?

3. What does the woman in "The Dream House" discover about the house she dream about?

4. Why can the Swan-Maiden not turn back into a swan in "The Swan-Maiden"?

5. Why does the girl weep in "The Seal's Skin"?

6. What happens after the men visit the Chief in "Talk"?

7. In "The Goose Girl," who trades places with the princess and why? What becomes of the impostor?

8. What rule does Orpheus break in "Orpheus and Eurydice"? What is the result?

9. Why does the man have only three days to live according to "Then the Merman Laughed"?

10. Why are the two sisters jealous of their other sister in "The Promises of the Three Sisters"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the differences in the portrayal of the devil in "The Devil with the Three Golden Hairs" and one other fable that Yolen includes in her collection. Why are these differences significant?

Essay Topic 2

Define the term prophecy and how it relates to "The Birth of Finn MacCumhail."

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast the stories "Orpheus and Eurydice" and "The Spirit Wife." Include in your essay a discussion of how culture affects the story.

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