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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. Francescho says that she bought her first horse from a woman who owned fields outside of which city?

2. What first name is eventually revealed to have belonged to Francescho's father?

3. What action did young Francescho's father take when confronting Francescho about wearing her mother's clothing?

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

5. Barto and Francescho travel to what city in order to "see the processions" (61)?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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)?

2. What crime did Cosmo likely commit the night after his first encounter with Francescho?

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

4. What assumption does Francescho make about the person she observes looking at a painting in the museum and what event makes her sure that she had been mistaken?

5. Describe Francescho's reaction to an aspect of technology in the modern world.

6. Characterize Francescho's relationship with the Falcon.

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

8. 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?

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

10. What name does Francesco's father recommend she take and for what reason does she reject his suggestion?

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

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.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Smith’s use of metaphor, simile, imagery, and other literary devices as a means to send particular thematic messages within the narrative of How to Be Both.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,423 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample