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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. Why does the guest in Clever Gretel run away?

2. What happens to Faithful John when he tells the king the reason behind certain actions?

3. What is the overall moral in both "The Gnome" and "The King of the Golden Mountain"?

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

5. Why does the princess escape in Allerleirauh?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What theme is expressed in Wise Folks?

3. How is the story of Clever Elsie misleading?

4. What is the lesson in The Pink?

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

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

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

8. Discuss Gretel's character in Clever Gretel.

9. What is the lesson of The Three Sons of Fortune?

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

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

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

Many fairy tales have been re-told over the years, especially the more popular ones such as Cinderella and Snow White. They have been re-told in several languages and countries with various twists. Choose a fairy tale and research its various re-tellings. Explore the similarities and differences between the re-tellings and the original. What can be understood about the culture re-telling the tale?

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This section contains 969 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample