Q 01/05

Which writer's 1697 French version introduced the fairy godmother and the glass slippers to the story?

A) Charles Perrault

B) Giambattista Basile

C) Jean de La Fontaine

D) Madame d'Aulnoy

Answer · why

A) Charles Perrault

His title was Cendrillon ou la petite pantoufle de verre, and it came with two morals, the second admitting that talent gets you nowhere without a god...

Q 02/05

In the Grimm tale Aschenputtel, the heroine's help comes not from a fairy godmother but from what?

A) A talking cow in the barn

B) A hazel tree on her mother's grave

C) Her late father's ghost

D) A dwarf who lives in the chimney

Answer · why

B) A hazel tree on her mother's grave

She grew it from a hazel twig her father brought back from a fair, watering it with her tears; a white bird in its branches throws down whatever she a...

Q 03/05

In the Grimm version, what are the slippers the heroine wears on the third night made of?

A) Glass

B) Silver

C) Gold

D) Silk

Answer · why

C) Gold

The glass slipper belongs only to the French telling and its descendants; other variants use an anklet, a ring or a bracelet instead.

Q 04/05

In the Grimm tale, what does the elder stepsister cut off on her mother's advice so the slipper will fit?

A) Her heel

B) Her little finger

C) A strip of her sole

D) Her toes

Answer · why

D) Her toes

The younger sister trims her heel instead, and both are exposed by two doves who point out the blood dripping from the shoe.

Q 05/05

How does the prince in the Grimm tale try to stop the mystery girl escaping on the third night?

A) He has the staircase smeared with pitch

B) He posts guards at every door

C) He locks the palace gates at dusk

D) He ties a ribbon to her wrist

Answer · why

A) He has the staircase smeared with pitch

It works only halfway: she loses one golden slipper in the tar and gets away, having earlier escaped him via a pigeon coop and a pear tree.