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AP Success - AP English Literature: There Was Once...

This is a short story that features mostly dialogue; it was published by Margaret Atwood in 1992.

There was once a poor girl, as beautiful as she was good,

who lived with her wicked stepmother in a house in the

forest.

5

-- Forest? Forest is passé, I mean, I've had it with all

this wilderness stuff. It's not a right image of our

society, today. Let's have some urban for a change.

-- There was once a poor girl, as beautiful as she was good,

10

who lived with her wicked stepmother in a house in the

suburbs.

-- That's better. But I have to seriously query this word

poor.

15

-- But she was poor!

-- Poor is relative. She lived in a house, didn't she?

20

-- Yes.

-- Then socio-economically speaking, she was not poor.

-- But none of the money was hers! The whole point of the

25

story is that the wicked stepmother makes her wear old

clothes and sleep in the fireplace –

-- Aha! They had a fireplace! With poor, let me tell you,

there's no fireplace. Come down to the park, come down to

30

the subway stations after dark, come down to where they

sleep in cardboard boxes, and I'll show you poor!

-- There was once a middle-class girl, as beautiful as she

was good –

35

-- Stop right there. I think we can cut the beautiful, don't

you? Women these days have to deal with too many

intimidating role models as it is, with what those bimbos in

the ads. Can't you make her, well, more average?

40

-- There was once a girl who was a little overweight and

whose front teeth stuck out, who –

-- I don't think it's nice to make fun of people's

45

appearances. Plus, you're encouraging anorexia.

Source 1

1

In lines 5-7, the narrator's rejection of the forest setting in favor of an "urban" one serves primarily to:

introduce a satirical tone to the passage.
highlight the timeless nature of the story's theme.
emphasize the universality of the girl's experience.
underscore the modern setting of the narrative.
criticize the conventional settings in fairy tales.

2

The discussion about the girl's economic status in lines 13-22 primarily serves to:

debate the relevance of economic status in the narrative.
challenge societal perceptions of poverty.
provide background information on the girl's family.
establish the girl's resilience in facing hardships.
illustrate the stepmother's control over the girl.

3

The term "middle-class" in line 33 is used to:

demonstrate the characters' social mobility.
question the original portrayal of the girl's status.
illustrate a shift in the narrative's focus.
emphasize the relatability of the girl's situation.
contrast with the girl's previous described poverty.

4

The insistence on removing "beautiful" in line 36 suggests the narrator aims to:

address societal pressures on women.
critique the superficiality of physical descriptions.
challenge traditional beauty standards.
create a more relatable protagonist.
focus on the girl's character rather than appearance.

5

In lines 41-42, the revised description of the girl serves to:

undermine the girl's confidence and self-worth.
introduce humor into the narrative.
critique the societal emphasis on appearance.
highlight the subjectivity of beauty standards.
emphasize the narrative's shift towards realism.

6

The narrative's evolving description of the girl's living situation from lines 1 to 33 primarily reflects:

the narrator's uncertainty about the story's direction.
a shift towards a more modern and realistic setting.
a deepening understanding of her character.
a critique of traditional fairy tale elements.
a debate over the relevance of socioeconomic status.

7

The phrase "socio-economically speaking" in line 22 is used to:

challenge the initial portrayal of the girl as poor.
highlight the narrator's detached perspective.
provide a logical justification for reclassifying the girl's status.
introduce a technical analysis of the girl's situation.
contrast with the more emotional description that follows.

8

The exchange between the narrators in lines 16-31 primarily serves to:

highlight the subjective nature of storytelling.
debate the relevance of economic status in character development.
introduce a comedic element through their disagreement.
explore different perspectives on poverty.
illustrate a conflict between traditional and modern values.

9

The repeated revision of the girl's description throughout the passage primarily illustrates:

the fluidity of identity and classification.
the impact of societal norms on character portrayal.
a critique of storytelling clichés.
a shift in narrative focus from external to internal qualities.
the narrator's indecision.

10

The overall tone of the passage is best described as:

earnest, sincerely exploring the girl's character and circumstances.
nostalgic, longing for traditional fairy tale elements.
indifferent, showing a lack of concern for the story's coherence.
didactic, aiming to instruct the reader on societal issues.
satirical, critiquing conventional storytelling and societal norms.

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