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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 NOT one of the three things the frog asks of the princess in return for getting her ball back?

2. When the two were married, they decided to live on a _______________.

3. What purified the girl so much that the wizard could not approach her and hurt or help her?

4. Which animal is smart enough to not move when the musician plays, having seen the atrocities?

5. The princess chokes as she eats, as though she were eating a small ___________.

Short Essay Questions

1. What is so remarkable about the house Hansel and Gretel find in the woods?

2. What happens when the mother and remaining sisters decide to slaughter the goat?

3. What is the prize for the person who is able to find out how the girls are escaping from the room each night?

4. What is the problem with the tree which the knight sees and then wants to have one of its branches?

5. What are the differences between the daughters in the first poem of this section of the book?

6. What happens after the woodsman takes care of the wolf who tried to eat Red Riding Hood and her grandmother?

7. What is the passageway to the world where the princesses dance all night?

8. How does Sexton herself see frogs as she eloquently describes in the poem?

9. Who are some of the people whom Anne Sexton believes would understand the princess' obsession with dancing?

10. Why don't the animals in the story of the musician take revenge on the musician?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The slave in the story of the white snake is blessed with knowledge when he eats the food prepared for the king.

Part 1: What is the value of knowledge in today's society?

Part 2: Why do you think the slave decided to go against the rules of the king?

Part 3: Do you think the slave should be punished for his noncompliance with the rules of the king?

Essay Topic 2

The symbolism of the golden key is something which comes up in a number of stories.

Part 1: Why do you think the key is a symbol in so many fairy tale stories?

Part 2: How do you think the boy's story might change if he was not able to find the key?

Part 3: Would you go off exploring if you found a key and didn't know what it opened?

Essay Topic 3

Within this book, Sexton decides that retelling known stories helps others understand their lives and their outlooks on life.

Part 1: Why do you think the fairy tales are used by the author to help the audience learn more about their lives?

Part 2: Do you think that fairy tales have been important in your own life?

Part 3: How do you think fairy tales affect people when they are young versus when they are older?

(see the answer keys)

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