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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. What is something similar in "The Three Little Birds" and "The Water of Life"?

2. Who is inside the house that the animals in "The Bremen Town Musicians" come across?

3. What is the moral of "The Fox and the Geese"?

4. Which reoccurring character do we see in "The Devil's Sooty Brother"?

5. Why does the first twin kill the second twin in "The Two Brothers"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the lesson in the fairy tale, The Dog and the Sparrow?

2. What theme is expressed in Wise Folks?

3. How is the story of The Singing Bone similar to the story of Cain and Abel?

4. Briefly discuss the moral of the Story of a Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was.

5. Discuss the differences between the two tales of The Wedding of Mrs. Fox and how each portrays Mr. and Mrs. Fox.

6. The Louse and the Flea and Clever Hans both use different story-telling styles than many of the other fairy tales. What techniques do they use?

7. Discuss the sibling bond seen in both The Twelve Brothers and Brother and Sister.

8. The number three is used several times in some of the fairy tales. Give a brief list of which stories that use the number three, what is represented in threes, and what the number three might represent.

9. Describe the use of intelligence by the tailor in The Valiant Little Tailor.

10. Why is The Robber Bridegroom considered a dark tale?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Prince Charming is not a term used specifically in the fairy tales but the idea of a Prince Charming is found in many of the tales. Discuss what the idea of a fairy tale prince is. Compare and contrast the various prince characters in the different tales. What behavioral codes do these princes tend to follow? What is the modern idea of a prince and is it similar to the idea of a fairy tale prince?

Essay Topic 2

Evil stepmothers, beautiful maidens, and clever princes are a few examples of certain types of characters that have shown up in several fairy tales. What other character types have reappeared in the tales? Give a description of each character type and explore the different tales that use them. Compare and contrast the characters. Why did the Grimm Brothers use reoccurring characters? What roles do they play and are they realistic in any sense? Why did these characters have a set role? (For example, why is the stepmother always evil?)

Essay Topic 3

Magic and supernatural elements are very common and very-loved in fairy tales. Discuss what types of magic are typically seen within the tales and give specific examples for each type. What purpose does magic serve in the fairy tales? Do they enrich the story? Do fairy tales function better with the magical and supernatural elements?

(see the answer keys)

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