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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 Sigurd think about Christianity?

2. Why is Odo friendly to Merewyn?

3. Who came to the church and was going to rape Merewyn?

4. Who dies after a prolonged illness that causes terrible stomach pain?

5. What does Odo use to purchase things for Merewyn?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was the grand commotion that happened in Greenland in June of 1000?

2. What did Merewyn see as the differences between Greenland and Iceland?

3. What was Ethelred like in the year 1002?

4. When Finian and Rumon went up to the monastery, what did the prior, Poldu, say happened to Merewyn during the Viking raid?

5. When did Rumon get word of Merewyn's whereabouts when he followed her back to Padstow?

6. What did the Abbess Merwinna request of Merewyn?

7. How was Sigurd dressed as he followed Ketil on the way to the Allthing?

8. What is Thora, Merewyn's daughter, like in June of 1000?

9. How does Merewyn's mother-in-law, Asgerd feel about Merewyn?

10. How did Ketil dress on his way to the Allthing, two weeks after Rumon left Iceland?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Think about how the characters, setting, and themes in "Avalon" relate to the period in which it was written. (The early to mid 1960s.) How is it a reflection, and how is it a criticism of that time period? How does Seton make her opinions about that world clear to the reader?

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?

(see the answer keys)

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