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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. What did Artemisia's mother tell her Judith is rather than a nubile nude?

2. How does Judith's husband die?

3. What is Tassi supposed to help Artemisia with specifically in her painting?

4. Who is the servant in Artemisia's family?

5. What was Artemisia's mother's full name?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Artemisia's mother describe the relationship between Susanna and her sister Rebecca?

2. What has broken Judith's heart at the beginning of Artemisia's mother's story about Judith?

3. In Part I, who does Orazio, Artemisia's father, not recognize in one of her paintings?

4. How does Artemisia feel when she cannot find her favorite palette knife in Part II?

5. How does Orazio respond to Artemisia's question about how to fix the Virgin Mary's arm in the painting she does in Part I?

6. What does Artemisia's mother tell her to do when the world tells her not to be so outraged and to be kind, and to be a lady?

7. What happens to Susanna in her garden that puts her in great peril?

8. How does Orazio use Artemisia routinely for his work that makes Artemisia feel shame and revulsion?

9. How does Artemisia feel about cooking, and what does cooking represent for her?

10. What does Tassi tell Artemisia he really thinks of her father's work?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Several times, Artemisia's mother mentions that she wishes for a sister for Artemisia, but the only set of sisters in the novel - Susanna and Rebecca - have a tumultuous and fraught relationship. Write an essay exploring McCullough's representation of sister relationships, citing specific references to the text to help support your answers.

Essay Topic 2

What are the different meanings of blood McCullough explores throughout the novel? For example, what does blood represent when it is indicative of menstruation, of the aftermath of Artemisia's rape, and of the murder Judith commits? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay discussing the paradox in the fact that Artemisia's salvation and ticket to being able to continue working as an artist at the end of the book comes to her through a marriage proposal.

(see the answer keys)

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