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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 animal does Lazy Harry not want to watch after?

2. Which element of fairy tales is not present in "Donkey Cabbages"?

3. What animal does the chicken turn into in "The Ungrateful Son"?

4. For how many years do the boys sleep in "The Twelve Apostles"?

5. What grows on the oldest daughter's nose in "St. Joseph in the Forest"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Ferdinand the Faithful and Ferdinand the Unfaithful telling readers?

2. Laziness is discussed in both The Three Sluggards and The Twelve Idle Servants. What is different between the two tales?

3. What is the story The Ungrateful Son about? Who is the target audience?

4. What is the moral of The Owl?

5. What do The Willow-Wren, The Sole, The Bittern and Hoopoe, and The Moon all have in common?

6. What is the moral behind The Three Green Twigs?

7. What is the lesson to be learned in Death's Messengers?

8. Why is the fourth child in The Sparrow and His Four Children considered to have found the best home? What message is being sent?

9. What is understood about the maiden in The Maid of Brakel?

10. What happens to the horse in The Nail? Why? What does this signify?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The idea of good winning over evil is persistent in several stories, novels, and movies today and throughout the years. The idea that good will prevail despite hardship is also prevalent in several fairy tales. Discuss the general notion of what it means for good to preside over evil. What defines the idea of good? What actions and types of characters are generally seen as good? What defines the idea of evil? What actions and types of characters are generally seen as evil? Which fairy tales exemplify this idea? Use specific examples to support each point.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

There are many marks of fairy tales or common themes. List as many as possible. Give a brief description of each and its importance within the tales. Use as many examples as possible to support each. Discuss the idea behind having several stories with the same themes or marks.

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