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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 is the purpose of the Meermans' visit to the Brandt household on the night Nella performs music?

2. Nella recalls that her father had been both wary and what of Amsterdam's wealth and power?

3. Nella muses that unlike Marin, her husband Johannes always gives her what type of answer?

4. Who is heard giggling in the shadows during Marin and Nella's first meeting?

5. How many dogs reside within the Brandt household?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Nella's parakeet Peebo symbolize?

2. For what reason is Nella reluctant to answer Agnes's question about who made Nella's miniatures?

3. What does Nella mean when she opines that "home is nowhere" (114) for her now?

4. How does Nella feel when Marin reveals that she has known all along that her brother Johannes is gay?

5. Describe Marin's character.

6. Describe Nella's first kiss with Johannes.

7. What is Johannes's reply when Nella asks him whether they are rich?

8. What does Nella mean when she muses that Marin and Johannes are obsessed with "souls and purses" (27)?

9. What is Nella's marital status when she first arrives at the Brandt home?

10. What is the first disagreement between Nella and Marin, and who wins it?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the author's choice to tell the story of The Miniaturist using the third-person omniscient point of view. What elements of the novel's themes lend themselves to this choice and what are the author's intended effects on the reader?

Essay Topic 2

Trace the characterization arc of Nella's character throughout the novel. Discuss whether she is a round or flat character and whether she is a static or dynamic character.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss how and why the author instills three different humanist messages into the narrative of The Miniaturist.

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