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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 is Alfonso's response to Lucrezia's offers of helping him?

2. How does Lucrezia bid goodbye to Alfonso in Part III?

3. Where does Lucrezia think she might never see again as she rides away from it in Part III?

4. What does Leonello do to a servant in Part III that is brutal?

5. What kind of singers does Alfonso like?

Short Essay Questions

1. What kind of singers is Lucrezia enchanted, and then appalled, by?

2. Who does Lucrezia save from death in Part III?

3. What does the Duke say when Lucrezia suggests she may help him with is duties?

4. What does Elisabetta want Lucrezia to keep a secret from Alfonso?

5. What does Lucrezia ask at court which Alfonso embarrasses her about?

6. In the start of Part III, why does Lucrezia have some hope she may be able to survive Alfonso's attempts on her life?

7. What is Nunciata like to Lucrezia?

8. How does Lucrezia feel about posing for a portrait?

9. Who does Lucrezia write to to say her life is in danger in Part III?

10. What playful gesture does the Duke do to Lucrezia that brings back sour memories of her childhood?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why do you think the author chose to write this novel in the "close third person"? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 2

How and why do Lucrezia's first sexual experiences with Alfonso change her impressions of him? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

How do O'Farrell's descriptions of some of the medical advice, treatments, and conventions of Lucrezia's day inform the reader about the daily lives and struggles of those who lived in that time period? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

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