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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. In what fad of the time did Beatrix's father like to engage?

2. What year was the code in Beatrix's diary cracked?

3. Why didn't Beatrix's parents want her to marry Norman?

4. Who cracked the code in Beatrix's diary?

5. To what religious group did Beatrix's parents belong?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why was Bolton Gardens full of excitement prior to the publication of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit"?

2. At the end of Chapter 1, what does the reader learn about Beatrix's beliefs?

3. What did Beatrix's parents fear about the Warnes family? Why didn't Beatrix's parents want Beatrix to marry Norman?

4. How was Beatrix viewed socially as she grew up and became an adult?

5. Were Beatrix's parents religious?

6. What came from the diary found decades after Beatrix's death?

7. What kind of job did Beatrix's father have? What did he do in his spare time?

8. Why were Bertram and Beatrix in the countryside with their father?

9. Why did Beatrix write letters to sick children in the 1880s? What were the letters about?

10. How is Beatrix's cousin Caroline Hutton described in Chapter 4?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the conclusion of the biography "The Tale of Beatrix Potter." How did Lane decide to end the book? Is it a happy ending? Why or why not? Are there any surprises or unanswered questions?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the illustrations and photographs used. Why might these particular visual aids have been chosen? What do they tell the reader about Potter? Does a story develop based on the pictures?

Essay Topic 3

Describe Beatrix's personality. How might one describe Beatrix's personality as a child? How did her personality change as she matured? What were her defining character traits?

(see the answer keys)

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