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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 friendship does Monna Giovanna's son strike up in the country?

2. What does Monna Giovanna determine to do?

3. When does Peronella's lover come to visit her?

4. After the death of her husband, where does Monna Giovanna take her son?

5. What suddenly happens to Monna Giovanna's son?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do several nuns come to the Abbess' door in the middle of the night?

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

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

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

5. How does Brother Onion recover when he takes the charcoal out of the box instead of the feather?

6. What happens when the two men come to confess to Brother Onion what they had done.?

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

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

9. What does Gualtieri do to assure himself that his wife, Griselda, is a worthy woman?

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

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, Man's Desire to Return from the Dead. In your essay point out that one reason for returning from the dead is to tell the living what it is like on the other side. Compare the pact made by Tingoccio Mini and Meuccio di Tura with the Twentieth Century magician, Harry Houdini who made a similar promise. Conclude with the fact that there is no evidence that anyone has ever succeeded in this return.

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, 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.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 823 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample