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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. How did Marie de Medici lose her power?
2. As the ball approaches, what does the reader learn about Margarethe's neighbors' opinion of her?
3. What does Margarethe think is increasing as her sight begins decreasing?
4. In Chapter 4, what ailment does Margarethe claim to have gotten while visiting the Master and seeing his horrible paintings?
5. Which item is van Stolk most interested in in the van den Meers' household?
Short Essay Questions
1. As the Epilogue concludes, what kind of painting does Ruth say should be painted of Clara's children?
2. What message is the Master trying to convey when he asks, after showing Margarethe his paintings of hideous people, what she knows about charitable stories from the Bible?
3. What happens in the dream Iris has the night of the ball?
4. What kind of perspective can Ruth offer about what happens to her family?
5. During their dance at the ball, what does Iris worry about with regard to Caspar?
6. Who is Caspar referring to when he initially tells Iris that she hopes she will not marry "the wrong man"?
7. Why is Iris surprised to learn that many of the guests at the ball are still talking about her, even after the prince and Clara retire to the private room?
8. How does the reader know Cornelius is depressed after his business venture fails?
9. What does Iris worry will happen to Clara if they are forced to leave the beautiful van den Meer home?
10. What causes the prince to be initially interested in Iris?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
One of the central themes of Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister is the exploration of beauty. What is Maguire's definition and concept of beauty? What are society's definitions of beauty at the time the novel is taking place? Choose one character in the novel who is traditionally beautiful and discuss what makes him or her so; choose one character in the novel who is truly, but not traditionally, beautiful, and discuss what makes him or her so.
Essay Topic 2
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?
Essay Topic 3
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.
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This section contains 956 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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