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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. Skeleton Woman began as a ___________ woman at the start of the story.

2. The father believed the lovers would be able to persevere if they married with the _______________ kind of real love.

3. A true name is often hidden because knowledge of it was seen as giving great ______________ to those who knew one's true name.

4. The young woman becomes endangered through playing with her female siblings and by breaking the one ________ her husband had given her.

5. Who rescues the duckling from the cold and the ice of the elements when the bird is come upon one day?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do the mother and the duckling both want for the duckling in its life?

2. Who does the girl cry out to when she senses she needs protection from her new husband?

3. What does the second story of the rabbits with Ezekiel's wheel tell about the relationship between the wisest and transformational experiences?

4. What does the fisherman do when he brings the skeleton into his home and changes his attitude?

5. What happens to the Skeleton Woman as she is being dragged behind the boat of the fisherman?

6. What does the girl think will happen if she continues to be kind to her new stepmother and stepsisters?

7. What do the others do when it's clear that one of the eggs in a bunch is not the same as the others?

8. What does Estes suggest about the female body and what it might be capable of doing?

9. Why does the man with the strange feature want the three sisters to do with him?

10. What seems to be the purpose of the father's request in the story of the man, the twins, and the father?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In many stories, there is the emergence of a powerful guide, someone who can help the main character begin to know themselves better and to be stronger.

Part 1: Why do you think so many stories include some sort of guide for the main figure?

Part 2: Do you think it's always necessary to have a guide in one's life in order to move forward? Why or why not?

Part 3: How do you think Vasilisa would have done if she had not had the doll at her side?

Essay Topic 2

The Skeleton Woman seems to be startling to the reader of the story, but as she begins to follow the man and wakes up whole again, the purpose becomes clearer.

Part 1: Why do you think the Skeleton Woman continues to be bones for most of the story?

Part 2: How do you think the man could have gotten rid of the Skeleton Woman?

Part 3: Do you think this story is effective in showing the reader the change in the women due to love? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

The author points out that every woman has soul skin or 'seal skin' that they must learn to wear and to go back to.

Part 1: Do you agree that everyone has a true self? Why or why not?

Part 2: How do you think living as your true self might change the way you live today?

Part 3: Why do you think it's important that you try to find your true self?

(see the answer keys)

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