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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 ultimately leads Clara to leave the house on a regular basis with Iris and Ruth?

2. What item does Ruth try to steal in the marketplace?

3. Why are the Master and Caspar invited over for dinner with the newly formed van den Meer family?

4. Who is Pieter ten Broek?

5. What is the financial situation of the van den Meers when the Fishers move in with them?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the title of Chapter 3, "The Girl of Ashes," refer to?

2. How do the Fishers end up at the van den Meers' house?

3. What new traits does Iris develop after Henrika's death?

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

5. What revelation does Iris have about her new step-father during his marriage ceremony?

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

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

8. What kind of relationship does Margarethe imply that Caspar and the Master have in secret?

9. What is a changeling?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Conventional wisdom dictates that children often end up like one of their parents. Using either Margarethe and Iris OR Henrika and Clara, compare and contrast how each girl grows up to be like and unlike her mother. Make sure to list at least three similarities and three differences, using evidence from the text to support your claims.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Why does Ruth burn the Young Woman with Tulips painting? What are her reasons behind such a momentous decision? What are the effects of that decision? Do you agree or disagree with what she did?

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