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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 they are young, what does Clara tell Iris is the only thing that makes her happy?

2. What does Iris find most frustrating about her apprenticeship on the first day?

3. Who is The Queen of the Hairy-Chinned Gypsies?

4. What role does Ruth take in Schoonmaker's household?

5. Henrika and Margarethe usually get along:

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What is Iris's role to be at the van den Meers?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

10. Where does Henrika's wealth come from?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Margarethe could easily be described as a selfish character based on her actions throughout the story. A counter argument can also be made, however, that she is a selfless character who continually acts out of a concern to improve the situations of those around her, often at her own expense, suffering, and unhappiness. Present an argument that Margarethe is in fact a selfless character, using at least three specific examples of her selfless actions from the novel.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the symbolism of the windmill within Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. Using quotations taken from the text, discuss at least three different aspects when the windmill appears, what its presence symbolizes, and how Maguire uses that symbolism to communicate indirectly to the reader.

Essay Topic 3

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.

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