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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 warns Clara when van Stolk enters the ball?

2. Before heading to the ball, what do Iris and Clara agree about Caspar?

3. Who is the ball's guest of honor?

4. Who does the Master tell Iris he views as responsible for bringing van den Meer to ruin?

5. What family scene does Ruth think would have made a good painting?

Short Essay Questions

1. As they are about to depart for the ball, how does Iris react when Clara promises not to take Caspar from her?

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 key piece of information did Iris not understand about Margarethe's continued reference to the imp in their family?

4. What does Iris worry will happen to Clara if they are forced to leave the beautiful van den Meer home?

5. During their dance at the ball, what does Iris worry about with regard to Caspar?

6. Why is Margarethe in such shock when Ruth speaks the word "Ashgirl" when referring to Clara?

7. What kind of perspective can Ruth offer about what happens to her family?

8. In the Epilogue, what does Ruth surmise happened to the greedy van Stolk?

9. 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?

10. How does Margarethe react when Iris catches her seemingly trying to burn Young Woman with Tulips at the ball?

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

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.

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.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 892 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample