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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. The wolf which the musician calls to him has his eye on the _____________.

2. Once a child who was born with troubles had a mother who wore her ___________ like a strand of pearls, even though the child might have lived to be 50 years old.

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

4. The author admits to being collected at cocktail parties, but inside, she is undergoing ___________________.

5. In order to eat, the family cooks up the ___________ to serve to each other as lamb chops.

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. Where do the princesses sleep when they are locked in their room each night?

6. What is the mystery of the twelve princesses who are locked in their room each night?

7. Why does the princess agree to doing all of the things that the frog asks of her?

8. Why does the father decide that he needs to cut off the hands of his daughter in the poem?

9. Who are some of the deceivers which Sexton includes in the beginning of the poem about Red Riding Hood?

10. What are the two pieces of advice or help which the old woman gives to the soldier who goes to find out the secret of the princesses?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The princesses in the story drug the princes who try to find out how they are sneaking off, causing them to fail in their mission and be killed.

Part 1: Do you think it was right for the princesses to have drugged the princes?

Part 2: Do you think the princesses might be considered murderers for allowing the princes to be killed?

Part 3: Why do you think it's so important for the princesses to keep their secret?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

The boy depends on Iron Hans, even though he is a wild man and the boy doesn't know what he is going to do.

Part 1: Why do you think the boy trusts Iron Hans, even though he is wild?

Part 2: Do you think it is a good idea to trust a person who appears to be wild?

Part 3: How might you have treated Iron Hans had you met him in the course of your life?

(see the answer keys)

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