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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. What does the Prior tell Rumon about Merewyn?

2. Why does Alfrida not want Ethelred to attend Edward's coronation?

3. What does Alfrida do to surprise Rumon shortly after Yuletide passes?

4. With whom does Dunstan suggest that Rumon marry and have children?

5. How does Rumon differentiate the Prior from the other monks?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Elfled describe the dream she had to Merewyn while in Ramsey Abbey's garden on the feast of the Assumption?

2. Describe Rumon's appearance when he first meets Merewyn.

3. How did Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, look when Rumon first sees him?

4. When Bishop Ethelwold visited Abbess Merwinna, what did he say happened to Alfhere?

5. When Merewyn arrives at the Great Hall of Lydford Castle, how does she describe it?

6. What terrible events followed very soon after Edward's Coronation?

7. Why did Rumon leave his homeland?

8. Describe Caw when he is first introduced in Chapter 1.

9. How does Edward describe his love, Elgifu?

10. What happened when Edward's body thane, Gunnar, is sent to Alfrida on Coronation Eve?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the passionate emotion that is communicated in "Avalon?" Why was Seton moved to write? What is the thing that the Seton had to communicate? Explain Seton's motivating emotion and how it is explored in "Avalon?"

Essay Topic 2

In "Avalon," Merewyn must contend with her past and the truth of who she is. Explain how Merewyn's relationship to her past and how she deals with who she is affects what she does, what she thinks and even some of her values and how the way Merewyn deals with who she is contributes to the novel.

Essay Topic 3

Merewyn and Rumon are introduced with certain dreams, plans, and expectations. In the course of the novel, these main characters must come to terms with the difference between their dreams and the reality of the world around them. Examine how both Merewyn and Rumon navigate the journey from dreams to reality: What kind of course do they follow and how are they changed as they go on their journey? How do they adjust their idea of what Avalon is from the beginning of the novel to the end? Do they find what they seek?

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