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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. Where does Peronella tell her lover to hide?

2. What do the men leave in Brother Onion's room?

3. What does Monna Giovanna discover after dinner?

4. How does Frederigo waste his fortune?

5. What is the Baronci family of Florence noted for?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Calandrino learn that the magic has gone out of the rocks?

2. How does Don Gianni di Barolo have his way with the wife of Pietro da Tresanti while Pietro looks on?

3. How are Caterina and Ricciardo found out?

4. How does Peronella turn the situation around and get her husband inside the barrel.

5. What is the result of a man sneaking into an Abbess' cell after he has fallen in love with her?

6. What unusual thing causes Peronella and her lover to look for a place to hide him?

7. Describe the painters, Calandrino, Bruno, and Buffalmacco.

8. What happens that Don Gianni declares has broken the spell to change Pietro's wife into a mare?

9. Explain how Peronella gets away with having a lover.

10. Although Frederigo would give anything to Monna Giovanna, why is it impossible for him to give her the falcon?

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 Story I Most Enjoyed in THE DECAMERON. First summarize the story you liked best and then explain in detail why that particular story caught your fancy. Be sure to mention the literary qualities of the story that made it stand out in your mind.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay of at least two typewritten, double spaced pages on the topic, Women as the Weaker Sex in THE DECAMERON. Use at least three different examples of how women are seen as inferior to men and more susceptible to moral transgression than men as seen in the book. Discuss how this idea not only plays out in the tales but also in the acceptance of the women gathered in the group of story tellers.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay of at least two typewritten, double spaced pages on the topic, How People Change Over Time. Begin by summarizing the tale of Tedaldo who leaves Florence after a quarrel with his mistress and later returns as a pilgrim and is not recognized by anyone who once knew him. Go to a discussion of how people not seen for a long time change physically, mentally, and emotionally. If possible use an example from your own life.

(see the answer keys)

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