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 the boy fashion as he is out on his quest?

2. What does the place where the ephors live emit from the rocks?

3. What is the year in the only dates frame in this first chapter?

4. What is the color of the cloaks of the men in the army marching at the beginning of this novel?

5. Who expresses dismay over how few soldiers Leonidas has brought to the battleground?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Leonidas think about the ephors and their ruling about whether the Spartans can fight?

2. What is the object of the march of the soldiers in the beginning of this manuscript?

3. What is one of the reasons why Leonidas refuses to send the sign of subjugation to the Persian king?

4. What is the path of the combined forces of Leonidas and the others who meet up with him?

5. What do the soldiers in the beginning of the novel wear as they match to battle?

6. For how long have the soldiers at the start of this novel been marching?

7. What do the other Greek commanders do when they join up with Leonidas and his soldiers?

8. Why do the ephors object to the plans of Leonidas when he comes to visit them?

9. What does Leonidas suggest to the ephors that the Spartan army does when they fight the Persians?

10. Where are the soldiers in the beginning of this novel marching to and from as they head into battle, it seems?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The terrain itself in the story seems to be a character in and of itself. From the narrow ledges to the creative names, it too seems to have a place in the story.

Part 1: Which part of the terrain do you think was most important to the story? Why?

Part 2: What do the names of the lands seem to say about the land as a whole or about the battle taking place?

Part 3: If the land were to be more generic, how might this have affected the story as a whole?

Essay Topic 2

In order to be a great leader of an army, it seems you need to have a bit of arrogance as well as intelligence.

Part 1: In what ways does Leonidas' arrogance help him?

Part 2: In what ways does Leonidas' arrogance hurt him in battle?

Part 3: Does arrogance seem to be a positive or a negative quality for a leader? Why do you choose the answer you do?

Essay Topic 3

The physical training Leonidas asks of his soldiers is intense, but necessary in order to fight well on the battlefield.

Part 1: Why do you think Leonidas values this intense training?

Part 2: Why haven't the soldiers been put into this intense training until just before the battle?

Part 3: If the soldiers Leonidas picked were already professional soldiers, why do they need more training?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 682 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample