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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. On the road, how do Rabatta and Bondone dress?

2. Why is the marquis displeased with his son?

3. What retort does the wayward nun have for the abbess?

4. What warning does Don Gianni give the couple before he casts his spell?

5. When the weather does not change, what do Rabatta and Bondone decide to do?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the result of Frederigo's attempts to impress Monna Giovanna?

2. When Monna Giovanna's son becomes seriously ill, what does he tell her might make him better?

3. What does the daughter of Messer Lizio di Valbona, a rich knight, do that her father knows nothing about?

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

5. How are Caterina and Ricciardo found out?

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

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

8. When two of Brother Onion's friends see him in the village proclaiming he will show a feather from the angel Gabriel, what do they plan to do?

9. On the way home in the rain, what is Rabatta's insulting comment about his friend, Bondone?

10. What plan does Caterina devise in order to be with Ricciardo?

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, Medical Pandemics Through the Ages. In your essay describe the Black Death that swept Europe in the Middle Ages and why it lasted so long. Then discuss pandemics of more modern times such as polio and various virulent strains of the flu. Conclude with how these plagues affect the human psyche.

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

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.

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