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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 chore did Griet look forward to most?

2. What did Catharina break that once belonged to van Leeuwenhoek?

3. How old was Griet when she moved in with the Vermeers?

4. Who watched Griet with a smirk as she almost touched the pearls sitting out in the studio?

5. If Griet were to choose Pieter the Son, what kind of life would she be choosing?

Short Essay Questions

1. What family problems did Griet experience at her family's home?

2. What did Vermeer and Catharina often fight about?

3. How is helplessness a theme in Girl with a Pearl Earring?

4. What role does the theme of life and death play in Girl with a Pearl Earring?

5. Who was Cornelia Vermeer?

6. What aspect of Tanneke's personality was Griet moved by?

7. Why did Griet's mother encourage her to accept Pieter's advances?

8. What did Griet think about the camera obscura?

9. What role did Griet serve as a servant?

10. Why did Maria agree to keep Griet's involvement in Vermeer's paintings a secret?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What role does dissatisfaction play in the lives of the main characters in the novel? How and why is Griet dissatisfied? How does she show this?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the historical context of Girl with a Pearl Earring. How does the historical context cause Griet to differ as a character from a modern novel?

Essay Topic 3

What role does the value of art play in Girl with a Pearl Earring? Which characters value art? How can the reader tell?

(see the answer keys)

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