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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 royal title did Borse hold when he commissioned Francescho to help paint a fresco?

2. How old was "the pickpocket" (113) at the time he was hired by Francescho?

3. When Francescho was on her deathbed, whom did she call "loyal" (142)?

4. Francescho recalls that her mother had named which two things as necessary in order "to get to live the life we're meant for" (112)?

5. Francesco finally is able to recall that she had died from what malady?

Short Essay Questions

1. Characterize Francescho's relationship with the Falcon.

2. How does the theme of family bonds arise within Francescho's statement about his top three most influential artists?

3. What insights does Francescho provide into the subversive elements of her artwork?

4. For what reason had Francescho eventually been banned from the brothel in Reggio?

5. Which element of the fresco in Borse's palace had the Falcon insisted must be changed in order to avoid the wrath of Borse and others?

6. Name two themes contained in one quote within the novel's Epigraph section.

7. What two elements of life had Francescho's mother named as those that are invaluable in getting "to live the life we're meant for" (112)?

8. With whom had Francescho spent her final moments and what is revealed to be the fate of this character?

9. What story does Francescho recount about "the infidel worker" (83) whose likeness she had eventually painted into Borse's fresco?

10. What evidence does Francescho provide for her claim that there were other women in Renaissance-era Italy who posed as men in order to pursue careers in art?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

William Faulkner once famously claimed that the most important literature deals with the subject of the human heart in conflict with itself. Explain how the theme of Human versus Self is demonstrated within Smith’s novel How to Be Both. Create a decisive, arguable claim and prove it with quotes from the novel.

Essay Topic 2

Write a critical essay about the novel How to Be Both while using the critical power theory lens of feminist theory. Use textual evidence to back up your strong, specific claim regarding the novel's treatment of gender roles, the objectification of women, female empowerment, misogyny's role within society, or any other issues related to feminist theory that can be found in the novel.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Smith’s messages about guilt and responsibility within How to Be Both. Focus especially on elements such as George’s guilt about the secret action she had taken to separate her mother from her friend Lisa.

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