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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. Which of the following did Dinesen NOT auction off?

2. How long did the relationship between Dinesen and Bjornvig last?

3. Who helped Dinesen manage through her illness?

4. What could be said for the characters in Dinesen's stories?

5. Who was Thorkild Bjornvig?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Dinesen's pregnancy split her relationship with Denys and what reunited them?

2. What occupied most of Denys' time in 1928, and how did Dinesen feel about it?

3. How did Dinesen behave when it seemed as if she would lose the plantation?

4. Why was Dinesen considered to be a controversial celebrity?

5. How was Dinesen's independent life in conflict with the norms for women in the early 20th century?

6. Why did Dinesen feel that Bjornvig needed to suffer through his studies in Germany?

7. Who was Thorkild Bjornvig, and what role did he play in Dinesen's life?

8. In what ways was Dinesen alienated from her own people during the war?

9. To what does the author draw parallels with Dinesen's work during middle age?

10. How did Dinesen spend some time during the early years of World War II?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the role of women in Europe in the early twentieth century. What precedents did they feel compelled to follow? What restrictions did they have? What freedoms did they have that 21st century women do not have? What roles did Dinesen fill which made men in her life uncomfortable? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

Create a brief character study of Bror Blixen. What did he look like? What was his family background? What were his positive personality traits? What were some of his negative characteristics? What were his hopes and fears? What were his primary motivations during his life?

Essay Topic 3

Who was Thorkild Bjornvig and what role did he play in Isak Dinesen's life? Why was Bjornvig so important to Dinesen? Why did the relationship between the two end so disastrously?

(see the answer keys)

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