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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 does the Man in Black notice about the Count?

2. As the kidnappers start climbing the Cliffs of Insanity, what happens to the boat?

3. Who is Count Rugen?

4. Inigo Montoya comes from what village?

5. When Buttercup jumps overboard into Florin Channel, someone tells her that she should beware of what?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Goldman decide to abridge "The Princess Bride"?

2. Whenever the farm boy says "As you wish", what does he really mean?

3. What obstacles do Westley and Buttercup face in the Fire Swamp?

4. What are the dynamics of the relationship between King Lotharon and Queen Bella?

5. How does Buttercup regard her own appearance?

6. Does the author's account of his father reading "The Princess Bride" seem credible to him?

7. During a fancy dinner, why does the Prince storm out in a huff shouting that he will not marry Princess Noreena, a dinner guest?

8. How does the Man in Black outsmart and defeat Vizzini?

9. Who is the Dread Pirate Roberts?

10. Why does Buttercup leave Westley and go with Humperdinck outside the Fire Swamp?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast Westley with Prince Humperdinck. What makes the pirate the "good guy"? What makes the prince the "bad guy"? How does the author use these two characters to turn traditional fairy tales upside down? What makes this book a satire under the pretense of being a fairy tale?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the three men who kidnap Buttercup: Inigo, Fezzik, and Vizzini.

1. At a crucial point in the story, Westley replaces Vizzini. What makes Westley the better leader and team player?

2. Even though Inigo and Fezzik start out as enemies of Buttercup and Westley, the four end up good friends. At what point does friendship start to develop? What creates trust between these characters who initially distrust one another?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze what messages the author is trying to convey about placing exaggerated importance on appearances. Using specific examples from the story, determine what the author considers superfluous and what he regards as real.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 930 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample