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

2. When Johannes tells Marin to stop acting like she owns the household, what reason does he give?

3. Nella considers taking what action now that Jack has disappeared?

4. What color are Johannes's eyes?

5. What holiday is the sixth of December in Seventeenth-Century Holland?

Short Essay Questions

1. What has changed about Marin's doll in Part Three: "No Anchor"? What does this foreshadow?

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

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

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

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

6. What happens when the militia arrives in Part Three: "Horseshoe"?

7. When Nella receives eight dolls from the miniaturist, what two items is the doll made in her own likeness holding in its tiny hands? What is the significance of each item?

8. How does the destruction of the gingerbread families act as an element of foreshadowing?

9. Where does Nella go in Part Four: "Spores"? Why?

10. What thought propels Nella to go out in the cold night to demand answers from the miniaturist?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the author's messages about guilt and responsibility within the novel The Miniaturist.

Essay Topic 2

Choose three symbols used by the author to transmit a particular thematic message. Discuss the author's purpose in depicting each object within the narrative.

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the author's focus on the theme of family and the household. What message is the author sending about one or both of these themes?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 963 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample