View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does Alyce decide that the cat should have a name in Chapter 6?

2. According to the protagonist, why do villagers often drive her away?

3. Why doesn't Beetle mind it when Jane calls her names in Chapter 4?

4. What does Will observe about Alyce in Chapter 6?

5. What is Beetle sure of when she returns to the cottage in Chapter 4?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where does Alyce hear frightening noises coming from in Chapter 8? What do they turn out to be?

2. What happens when the village boys chase Alyce in Chapter 6?

3. What does Brat do for the woman in Chapter 1, and what does she receive in return?

4. Why doesn't Brat dream while she sleeps?

5. After the miller's baby is born, how does the midwife treat Beetle? Why doesn't Beetle mind her treatment?

6. What does Beetle do when Jane is delivering babies?

7. After helping Will deliver the calves, what changes for Alyce in Chapter 8?

8. What does Beetle call Jane and why?

9. Where does Brat try to keep warm at the beginning of the story?

10. What does Beetle say to the injured cat when she takes it from the sack in Chapter 2?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze and interpret the character Edward. What are his defining character traits? Describe his relationship with Alyce. How does Alyce's friendship with Edward benefit her? What does she learn from him? What is the significance of the cook's comment about their physical appearance?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the motif of superstition in the novel. Which character(s) are superstitious? What are some examples of superstition in the novel? Is Alyce a superstitious character? Were the people of the Middle Ages more superstitious than people of the 21st century? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Alyce's character growth throughout the novel. How does her character compare from when the reader is first introduced to her to when the novel concludes? What events or people in her life prompt Alyce's growth?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 785 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample