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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. How are Peronella and her lover surprised one afternoon?

2. What promise does Brother Onion make to the villagers this time?

3. What happens when the two friends tell Brother Onion what they had done?

4. Why has Peronella's husband come home in the middle of the day?

5. How does he explain the charcoal?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. When collecting alms from a nearby village, what does Brother Onion use to get the people to give freely?

4. How does the affair between Caterina and Ricciardo work itself out?

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

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

7. What is the sad situation with Frederigo, a man of noble birth?

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

9. When Calandrino finds what he thinks are magic rocks, what do Bruno and Buffalmacco decide to do.

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 a story of at least two typewritten, double spaced pages in the style of THE DECAMERON. This is a creative writing assignment where you are required to tell a story using the euphemistic language of THE DECAMERON and one of the themes such as unexpected happy endings or tragic endings.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay of at least two typewritten, double spaced pages on the topic, The Historic Setting for THE DECAMERON. Include the bubonic plague that caused people to leave the cities looking for ways to avoid contact with the plague. Discuss the limited ways to find entertainment under such circumstances. Finally, address the activity of story telling as the best possible form of entertainment under the circumstances in 1348 A. D.

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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This section contains 818 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample