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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 does Cornelia tell Nella that no woman can do?

2. Where does Nella place the Nella doll after putting something around its neck?

3. When Johannes claims that it is not Jack who has betrayed him, whom does he list as the real culprit?

4. In what month of 1687 does Part Four begin?

5. When Nella hears sobbing and opens Marin's door, what color is the liquid she sees Marin about to drink?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Marin about to do when Nella enters her room in Part Three: “Hidden Bodies"? Why?

2. When Nella detects a tenderness and genuine friendship developing between herself and Johannes, what is her reaction?

3. What act does Johannes tell Marin he has undertaken for her and "against the counsel" (219) of his soul?

4. What is the implication of Jack's charge against Johannes in Part Three: "Horseshoe"?

5. What two items does Nella say "beautifully define [Marin's] infuriating contradictions and what does Nella mean?

6. For what reason does Hanna have to destroy all of the bakery's gingerbread families?

7. What does Johannes mean when he says that he has married a child and that he has done it for Marin?

8. What does Nella do as a sign of goodwill toward Johannes when he leaves for Venice and what is his reaction?

9. What is the significance of the loaf of sugar that Agnes's doll holds in its hand?

10. How do Nella's feelings about privacy change over time within the Brandt household?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Determine the author's message regarding truth, lies, and hypocrisy.

Essay Topic 2

Trace the characterization arc of Nella's character throughout the novel. Discuss whether she is a round or flat character and whether she is a static or dynamic character.

Essay Topic 3

How do the themes of deception and secrecy function within the novel and what is the author's message regarding these themes?

(see the answer keys)

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