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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. How did Artemisia ruin a canvass when she was five or six years old?

2. What is Abra's role in the murder of the Assyrian military leader?

3. What is the one additional sin Artemisia's mother lists for Susanna that Susanna herself does not mention?

4. What does Artemisia think of Susanna as she gathers the remains of her painting of Susanna from the floor?

5. How does Artemisia feel about her prospects right after she rebuffs Tassi's vulgar overtures?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Judith tell Artemisia about why she should ask her father to bring charges against Tassi?

2. What does Artemisia realize with horror about her body some weeks after Tassi's assault?

3. Who does Artemisia envision helping her after her rape in Part IV?

4. What shocks Artemisia in the immediate aftermath of Tassi's crime against her?

5. What does Artemisia do to escape from Tassi when he comes to see her in her studio the first time following the assault?

6. What does Artemisia say to Orazio that seems to make him agree to bring charges against Tassi?

7. What does Tassi tell Artemisia when she tells him she is going to ask her father to bring charges against him?

8. What does Tassi propose to Artemisia in Part III that she is hopeful about?

9. Why does Artemisia need Orazio to bring charges against Tassi?

10. What does Artemisia spend so much more time on when she paints than faces?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Artemisia feel about Tino Tassi when they first meet? When and how do her feelings for Tassi change? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 2

How do Artemisia's experiences as a woman and eventually as a survivor of sexual assault affect her work as a painter and infuse it with qualities that men's artistry of her time seems to lack? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

What are the different meanings of blood McCullough explores throughout the novel? For example, what does blood represent when it is indicative of menstruation, of the aftermath of Artemisia's rape, and of the murder Judith commits? Write an essay explaining your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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