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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. Who is disguised as a giant gargoyle?

2. What does September find in her pocket?

3. To where does Calpurnia offer to accompany the group?

4. What can a Marid do?

5. Who is Penny?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do Ell and September have to pass through to meet with the Marquess and what happens to Ell?

2. Where is September swimming and what is the shore like when she gets to it?

3. What does September ask the Green Wind and how does the Leopard answer the question?

4. How does Queen Mallow construct the city of Pandemonium?

5. How is September feeling after leaving the Briary and where does she find Ell?

6. Describe the exchange between the Marquess and September concerning the Spoon.

7. Who is in the lobster cage; why is he in the cage and what can he do?

8. Who is Calpurnia Farthing and whom has she rescued?

9. Who is the customs agent and what does she do?

10. Who wakes September after a quiet night's sleep and what do the two say to each other?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

1. What is foreshadow? How many incidences of foreshadow are in The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland? How does foreshadow contribute to a book's suspense?

2. Discuss an example of foreshadow in The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland including why you believe it is foreshadow. Include examples from the book and your own life to illustrate your answer.

3. How do you think most people react to uncertainty in their lives? Use examples from The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland and your own life to support your opinion.

Essay Topic 2

There are a number of interesting questions raised by The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland. Questions that Valente most likely want readers to consider and think through carefully. Discuss the following:

1. What does the term "author agenda" mean?

2. Name one idea/concept you think may have been a part of the Valente's agenda. Analyze that idea throughout the book and discuss Valente's probable agenda concerning that idea.

2. Do you think writers who have an agenda for writing should point it out in a preface?

3. How often do you think fiction is written with a clear agenda in mind by the author?

4. Research the life of Valente and see if/where her life may have influenced her writing.

Essay Topic 3

Often, authors will write about "what they know," and sometimes knowing a little about the author makes the books more interesting. Discuss the following:

1. Research and give a brief biographical sketch of Catherynne M. Valente.

2. What in Valente's background may have helped her in writing The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland? What may have influenced the way she depicts various characters and scenes?

3. Do you think there is always some of the author's own life in his/her novels? Why or why not? Give examples.

(see the answer keys)

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