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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. Why can Madeleine not peel the fruit M. Pujol gives her?

2. Does Adrien ever apologize for his clumsiness?

3. What is one of the ways Madeleine imagines escaping the hospital?

4. What does M. Pujol plan on doing after he leaves the widow and the gypsies?

5. Why does M. Pujol refuse to flee the hospital with Madeleine and Adrien?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Mother blame Madeleine for her troubles with the town's people?

2. How do Sophie and Beatrice communicate in code while in church?

3. Who is Hugh?

4. Describe Mother's plan to break M. Jouy out of the hospital.

5. Why does the Mayor think his youngest daughter has unusual, childish hands?

6. Describe Adrien's best efforts to scare the patient he is supposed to photograph for his piece entitled "Terror!"

7. Why does Madeleine gather gravel to drop on top of M. Pujol's caravan?

8. How does M. Pujol feel about being paddled by Madeleine?

9. How does M. Pujol feel about the people showering his caravan with gravel?

10. Why does Madeleine's sleeping form begin to develop bruises?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Matilda becomes a very important character toward the end of the story. Only with her help is Madeleine redeemed in the eyes of her friends, neighbors, and family. In a way, she acts as Madeleine's guardian angel. Write an essay explaining how Matilda helps redeem Madeleine. What does she do to change the opinions of the people in the audience? What tool does she use to help her with her task? Is Madeleine ever aware of Matilda's presence after she falls asleep on stage? Explain your rationale by providing examples from the novel.

Essay Topic 2

Toward the end of the story, Madeleine makes a fool of herself. She also horrifies her audience when her hands change back to their disfigured state. Despite her best efforts, she is unable to convince them verbally that she is special. She is forced to submit to the stares of pity they rain down upon her. Write an essay giving reason to the actions Madeleine takes after the audience shuns her. Why does she lay down on the stage? How does closing her eyes and falling asleep restore some semblance of respectability and innocence to her? Explain your rationale by providing examples from the novel.

Essay Topic 3

Greed is a topic brought up many times in Madeleine is Sleeping. Saint Michel was greedy and vain before mending his ways. Various characters like Mother experience greed when they do things for their own selfish purposes. Write an essay explaining how greed plays a role in Madeleine is Sleeping. Which characters are greedy and how does their greed impact the story? Do any character's greedy actions lead to positive outcomes? Why or why not? Use examples from the book to support your argument.

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