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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. After his wife dies, what investment does van den Meer worry has been lost?

2. Who is Schoonmaker?

3. Who is the American equivalent of Sinter Klaas, the person for whom the girls leave their shoes out one night?

4. What has allegedly happened to Jack Fisher?

5. What kind of paintings does Schoonmaker secretly paint?

Short Essay Questions

1. What leads to a shift of power in the marriage of van den Meer and his wife?

2. While painting his famous painting of Clara, the Master says that he is "going to ruin" someone. Who does he mean?

3. Why does Iris ask Margarethe specifically to teach her how to cook and prepare a meal?

4. What revelation does Iris have about her new step-father during his marriage ceremony?

5. How does Heer van den Meer first present Iris to Clara?

6. What kind of relationship does Margarethe imply that Caspar and the Master have in secret?

7. What new traits does Iris develop after Henrika's death?

8. How do the Fishers end up at the van den Meers' house?

9. What does the reader learn about Ruth's character and personality by the end of Chapter 1?

10. What does the title of Chapter 3, "The Girl of Ashes," refer to?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Complete a character analysis of the Queen of the Hairy-Chinned Gypsies. What kind of character is she? How does her character change throughout the novel (or does it)? What role does she play in the text? What is the reader supposed to think of her? Does the reader's opinion of her change as the story progresses? Is she a "good" character, a "bad" character, or both? What literary tools does Maguire use to develop her character?

Essay Topic 2

A respect for memory -- or the lack thereof -- is a defining characteristic of many of the novel's characters. Choose two characters from Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister and compare and contrast, using specific examples, whether the characters have a respect for memory and learn from the past.

Essay Topic 3

Choose three passages from Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister that you consider to be the three most important. Analyze each passage for tone, diction, and any other literary devices that Maguire might use within them, such as foreshadowing or symbolism. What makes each scene one of the most important? How does Maguire convey the high level of importance of each passage? Which literary devices does Maguire use to structure and create each passage, and how would each scene be different without the use of one of those devices?

(see the answer keys)

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