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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. Who does Merewyn see coming up the road on horseback as she waves good-bye to Asgerd?

2. What kind of a ruler is Ethelred?

3. How many ships set sail from the western Fjords in the Spring?

4. Who sails into Greenland in June of 1000?

5. Three days after speaking with the Abbot of Glastonbury, where do Merewyn and her children arrive?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was Ethelred like in the year 1002?

2. How does Merewyn describe Thorbjorg, the seeress from Brattalid?

3. How did Merewyn describe the Hafnarfell Mountains?

4. When Brother Finian told Rumon that he smelled smoke as they came to the broad estuary of the Camel River in their search for Merewyn, how did Rumon respond to Finian?

5. How did Bishop Ethelwold reply to Merewyn when she asked him where she should go upon her return from her journey to bury the Abbess' heart at St. Petroc's?

6. What did Merewyn tell the porter at Glastonbury Abbey that got her in to see the Abbot?

7. Why couldn't Merewyn get the land grants and the title of Thane for Orm that she wanted in the year 1002?

8. What did Merewyn see on her trip to the Allthing?

9. What was wrong with Ethelred's first wife, Queen Elgifu, in the year 1002?

10. What did the Abbess Merwinna request of Merewyn?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explore how gender affects the plot and character development in "Avalon." How are male and female characters portrayed? What are the roles of males and females in Medieval society both in England and Iceland? How did gender influence the choices that were available to the characters and the decisions that they made?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the way that the techniques Seton uses to make the setting vivid and real to readers and how effective these techniques are. What are the primary locations? How are these places made realistic? How does Seton use extended description, background information and specific detail to make the setting come alive for readers? How do Merewyn and Rumon fit in the setting: Do they seem at home or out of place? How do their reactions and interactions with the setting affect the realism of the locations?

(see the answer keys)

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