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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. Who does Artemisia model one of the terrible Elders in her painting of Susanna after?

2. How did Artemisia's mother Prudentia die?

3. What tool does Artemisia miss when she can not find it in Part II?

4. What does Tassi say when Artemisia asks if he can secure a commission for Orazio?

5. Where does Artemisia say everything begins from in Part I?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Orazio use Artemisia routinely for his work that makes Artemisia feel shame and revulsion?

2. What does Artemisia tell Tassi about her father that she has never told anyone before?

3. How does Artemisia shut out the rest of the world and its distractions and problems?

4. What does Artemisia do when she needs a female model for her paintings?

5. What did Artemisia's mother most wish for for her in relation to the last baby she ever had?

6. Why does Artemisia's father not object to the unusual situation of having a female apprentice?

7. How does Orazio react when Artemisia lets it slip that she told Tassi she helps with the paintings?

8. What happens to Susanna in her garden that puts her in great peril?

9. How does Artemisia make use of the time she is made to perform menial tasks away from her easel?

10. In Part I, who does Orazio, Artemisia's father, not recognize in one of her paintings?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why do you think Artemisia endures her father Orazio's ill treatment for so long? Why does she not try to run away? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 2

What does McCullough use onions to symbolize throughout the novel, and how does Artemisia feel about what the onions symbolize to her? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 3

Several times, Artemisia's mother mentions that she wishes for a sister for Artemisia, but the only set of sisters in the novel - Susanna and Rebecca - have a tumultuous and fraught relationship. Write an essay exploring McCullough's representation of sister relationships, citing specific references to the text to help support your answers.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 727 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample