View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Iris think of Caspar's paintings of Ruth?

2. Who does Iris eventually go to apprentice with, after much protest?

3. What does Caspar promise Iris one morning while she is visiting him and the Master during her work for the van den Meers?

4. When they are young, what does Clara tell Iris is the only thing that makes her happy?

5. Who is The Queen of the Hairy-Chinned Gypsies?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How does Clara initially react to her new stepmother's demands that she help with housework?

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

4. Why does Clara pout about attending the event where her painting is unveiled?

5. What is Iris's role to be at the van den Meers?

6. What does van den Meer's lost wealth mean for Margarethe's plan?

7. What is a changeling?

8. Where does Henrika's wealth come from?

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

10. What kind of tone does the Prologue have?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Iris, Ruth, and Clara all have very complicated childhoods. Examine what makes each child's experience growing up so complicated, what each girl had control of growing up, and what, if anything, could have been changed to make each of their childhoods more enjoyable for them.

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

Paintings play a crucial role in Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. Choose three paintings that are mentioned in the text and discuss 1) who and what they physically represent, 2) who and what they symbolically represent, and 3) how Maguire uses them to advance and influence the plot. For each painting, use at least one (and preferably two) citations from the text to support your physical description.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 785 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample