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. What negative quality is expressed in Gossip Wolf and the Fox?

2. What magic is seen in "Sweet Porridge"?

3. What does Thumbling not end up inside?

4. What distracts Little Red Cap when she is going to her grandmother's house?

5. In "The Robber Bridegroom," what proof does the bride have of her story?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What is the moral of The Three Little Birds?

4. What are the similarities and differences between The Devil's Sooty Brother and Bearskin?

5. What is the similarity between The Singing, Soaring Lark, and The King of the Golden Mountain?

6. What lesson is being told in the story Mother Holle?

7. What is the irony in The Water-Nixie?

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

9. How does King Thrushbeard trick the princess? Why?

10. What is the lesson in The Pink?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

A fairy tale is typically thought to be a story to tell children. However, several tales carry dark elements or horrible deaths that might not appeal to a child. Discuss what darker elements might be seen in fairy tales and what sort of horrible deaths there are. Then analyze them to determine whether the fairy tale can indeed be for a child or is it meant for an older audience? Why did the Grimm Brothers incorporate such elements into some of the tales even if the moral is considered an element of good?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the overall elements that create a fairy tale and label a story as one. What is the backbone to a fairy tale? What factors must be present? What are the archetypal characters? What other elements are normally seen in a fairy tale and what is the structure of a fairy tale? Be sure to include several specific examples to support each point.

Essay Topic 3

Choose any fairy tale slightly longer in length and write an essay analyzing the tale in its entirety. Discuss its characters, the marks of fairy tales that are expressed, the prevalent theme, the setting, the morals, and any other aspect that can be discussed.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,113 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample