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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 does the painter leave one panel of the chapel fresco blank?

2. What does Erila do when she wakes Alessandra in Chapter 43?

3. In Chapter 23, what does Savonarola say God told him?

4. What does Alessandra do after Plautilla visits in Chapter 35?

5. What makes Tomaso confess his homosexuality to his mother?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Alessandra's life like when the painter is at the convent?

2. Why does the painter end up locking himself in the chapel, even refusing food?

3. Why is the painter arrested?

4. Why does Cristoforo want Alessandra to kick the painter out of their house in Chapter 34?

5. In Chapter 22, what worries Cristoforo about the current political climate?

6. Why does Cristoforo fake his death?

7. How does Alessandra react when Cristoforo brings Tomaso home in Chapter 26?

8. How does Erila react when she learns that Alessandra and the painter made love?

9. Why does Alessandra apologize to her mother in Chapter 35?

10. What does Savonarola preach about when he won't let women in the church?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the gender roles in Alessandra's society.

Essay Topic 2

What role does marriage play in The Birth of Venus? How does marriage affect the conflicts in this novel?

Essay Topic 3

Examine the influence of religion in this novel. How does it serve as a theme?

(see the answer keys)

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