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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. Who comes across the tailor in Chapter 7?

2. What does Saskia ask Dagmar's mother to help her do in Chapter 9?

3. Who does the young maiden's father want her to marry?

4. Why does this happen to the tailor's leg in Chapter 2?

5. What does Saskia have to sell in Chapter 6?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Saskia cut her father's cheek in Chapter 5?

2. What does Saskia's father do while she is spinning threads in Chapter 12?

3. Why doesn't the tailor invite Elke inside his house in Chapter 11?

4. What does Saskia have to do when her father becomes depressed?

5. Why doesn't the young maiden's father want the tailor to marry his daughter?

6. What does the tailor discover when he returns home in Chapter 8?

7. What classic story does "Spinners" borrow elements from?

8. What does Saskia promise herself at the end of Chapter 12?

9. How does the tailor try to convince the father of the young maiden that he is worthy of his daughter in Chapter 1?

10. What does the young maiden do when the tailor's leg becomes cramped in Chapter 3?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What are some examples of secrets in the novel? How do these secrets impact the central characters? How do these secrets impact the novel's pace and tone?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the motif of love and romance in the novel. Who are some couples in love in the novel? Who marries for love? Who does not? What role does romantic love play in the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Summarize the "Rumpelstiltskin" fairy tale. Discuss which elements of the fairy tale Napoli incorporates into her novel as well the effectiveness of these elements in the story.

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