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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 Musciatto Franzesi choose Ser Ciappelletto to handle debts and trade?

2. Who does Alatiel eventually meet?

3. Who is Alatiel's next lover after Constanzo?

4. What does Rustico tell Alibech she must do to serve God?

5. What does a monk see that ignites his temptation?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Alatiel eventually end up with the king of Algarve?

2. Describe the happy occasion for Alatiel as she prepares to get married.

3. What are the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Lorenzo, the lover of Isabetta?

4. What does Alibech learn from Rustico?

5. What is the ambition of Alibech and where does it take her?

6. Why is it so easy for Berto della Massa to take on the persona of Brother Alberto, a minor friar?

7. What happens to Ciappelletto while staying with two Florentine brothers in Burgundy?

8. Why have the young people of the novel left Florence and gone into the country?

9. How dies Alatiel end up on the island of Majorca?

10. Why does Andreuccio di Pietro travel to Naples?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay of at least two typewritten, double spaced pages on the topic, THE DECAMERON as an Early Example of the Modern Novel. In your essay point out how THE DECAMERON predates Chaucer's CANTERBURY TALES which is often credited as being the first modern novel. Discuss the format of THE DECAMERON and how you think it qualifies as a novel.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay of at least two typewritten, double spaced pages on the topic, Why THE DECAMERON Should Be Required Reading. In your essay include the historic value of the book, the impact the book has had on modern novels, and the classic nature of the work. Discuss THE DECAMERON as a means of understanding the period of the Black Death in Europe and the attitude of living for today because tomorrow we may die. Conclude with why you think a reader is enriched by reading this particular work.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay of at least two typewritten, double spaced pages on the topic, How Bernie Madoff Compares with Brother Onion. Using Brother Onion's feather from the wing of Gabriel and charcoal from the burning of St. Lorenzo, compare those things with Madoff's use of his connections and expertise on Wall Street to dupe people into investing money that he had no intention of returning. Define how people who want to believe in something are easily led.

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