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

2. When the French enter Florence, what are they said to resemble?

3. Why does the painter paint a snake on Alessandra?

4. Why does Alessandra assume the painter is the father of her child?

5. What celebration does Alessandra attend in Chapter 37?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Savonarola do when the plague comes to Florence?

2. Why does Cristoforo fake his death?

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

4. How does Savonarola respond to being excommunicated?

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

6. How do the French affect Alessandra's life in Chapter 20?

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

8. How does Alessandra's pregnancy change her relationship with the servants?

9. What happens when Alessandra visits the chapel before the dedication?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the role of sacrifice in The Birth of Venus.

Essay Topic 2

What relationship between political and personal revolts does the author create in this novel?

Essay Topic 3

Trace Alessandra's relationship with the painter throughout this novel. How is this relationship affected by outside forces? How is it shaped by inside forces? Which do you think are most powerful?

(see the answer keys)

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