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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 Chapter 23, what does Savonarola say God told him?

2. In Chapter 42, what happens when Savonarola fails to raise to the challenge of another monk?

3. Where is Cristoforo when Alessandra first feels her labor pains?

4. Why does Mother Superior let the painter stay with Alessandra in the convent?

5. Who tells the painter about Alessandra's pregnancy?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does the painter come to visit Alessandra in Chapter 21?

2. How does Cristoforo react to Tomaso and the painter being arrested?

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

4. How does painting the convent's chapel's fresco affect Alessandra?

5. In Chapter 25, why does Alessandra ask her mother about her engagement?

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

7. When Alessandra visits the painter while he is locked in the chapel, what does she discover about his art?

8. What makes Alessandra's life in the convent less pleasing to her?

9. How does Alessandra prepare to end her life?

10. How does Alessandra react to the snake tattoo she sees on the man in the market?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare at least two leaders in The Birth of Venus.

Essay Topic 2

Explore how the descriptions of the two frescoes in this novel reflect the character development of the major characters.

Essay Topic 3

How does this novel develop the Italian Renaissance into a character instead of a setting?

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