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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 a member of the Fisher family?

2. What does the town say is the cause of Henrika's health issues?

3. What does Clara believe happened at the windmill?

4. What do Caspar and Iris both believe lives in the highest part of the van den Meers' house?

5. What item does Iris actually steal in the marketplace?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is a changeling?

2. What does the title of Chapter 2, "The Imp-Riddled House," mean?

3. What do tulips symbolize in the beginning of the novel?

4. When Cornelius discovers that Schoonmaker has not been invited to the wedding, what does he ask Iris to do?

5. While painting his famous painting of Clara, the Master says that he is "going to ruin" someone. Who does he mean?

6. How does Clara change after the incident at the windmill?

7. What painting does Heer van den Meer commission Schoonmaker to paint?

8. Why does Clara pout about attending the event where her painting is unveiled?

9. What does the reader learn about Ruth's character and personality by the end of Chapter 1?

10. How does Clara initially react to her new stepmother's demands that she help with housework?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Perhaps the most unique aspect of Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister is the new point-of-view it provides on a classic fairy tale. Discuss 1) the role that point-of-view provides in a text, 2) what literary tools an author can use to manipulate a traditional point-of-view, and 3) what impact a new or unusual point-of-view can have on the reader. Make sure to cite specific examples and passages from Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 2

Several different characters in the novel operate under different moral codes. Margarethe, for example, becomes increasingly religious but Iris feels that she does not follow the moral code of her religion. In contrast, Iris does not follow a religion as closely as her mother does, but it could be argued that she lives a more moral life. Choose once character in the novel and examine that character's moral code, what the basis of that moral code is, and whether or not the choices the character makes indicate whether he or she is a moral person. Make sure to use specific examples from the story to support your argument.

Essay Topic 3

Choose three passages from Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister that you consider to be the three most important. Analyze each passage for tone, diction, and any other literary devices that Maguire might use within them, such as foreshadowing or symbolism. What makes each scene one of the most important? How does Maguire convey the high level of importance of each passage? Which literary devices does Maguire use to structure and create each passage, and how would each scene be different without the use of one of those devices?

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