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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. After Henrika's death, what is her portrait replaced with in the van den Meers' household?

2. Why is Iris worried about how Henrika and Margarethe interact?

3. What item is Iris given to work with on the first day of her apprenticeship?

4. What are Iris and Margarethe a little afraid Schoonmaker will ask Iris to do when they first start working together?

5. What is the name of the painting the Master creates for van den Meer?

Short Essay Questions

1. What lesson does Margarethe want Iris to take away from their discussion about how everyone is trapped in their life by some circumstance?

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

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

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

5. How does Clara get the nickname of "Cinderella"?

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

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

8. What is Iris's relationship with her mother like in the beginning of the novel?

9. When Heer van den Meer first asks for Iris to come to his house and work for him, Iris wishes she could be an inanimate object. What does this symbolize?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Although they are small, there are multiple examples of foreshadowing present within the novel. Find three specific examples of foreshadowing and discuss what they are, what they symbolize, and what they foreshadow. Make sure to use specific citations from the text to support your position.

Essay Topic 2

Many things are in juxtaposition in the text. Pick three characters, themes, settings, or other examples of juxtapositioning and explain how Maguire sets up the juxtaposition, the role the juxtaposition plays within the story, and what message Maguire is trying to send through each contrast.

Essay Topic 3

The Fisher family comprises three very different women. Choose Margarethe, Ruth, or Iris and examine what role they play in the family, whether they are happy in the beginning and end of the text, and how their choices affect the rest of the women in the family unit. Make sure to use quotations from the text to support your position.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 788 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample