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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. After Thorbjorg tells Sigurd and Merewyn about Ketil, what does Thorbjorg say about Merewyn ?

2. What does Merewyn ask the Abbess while the Bishop is at the Abby?

3. Why does Queen Elgifu need constant nursing?

4. What commands does Leif present to the people when he arrives at the feast?

5. Who leads the Viking attacks?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

6. Where was Merewyn's interview and what was Merewyn doing with Abbess Merwinna when the Abbess told Merewyn that she couldn't be accepted into the novitiate?

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

8. How did Ketil react to Merewyn's plea for him not to go a-viking anymore?

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

10. Why did Orm stiffen when the porter at Glastonbury Abbey referred to the Vikings as "dreadful Danes?"

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explore the way that social class and class issues influence the characters and plot of "Avalon." What social classes are represented? To what extent is each class depicted; are all the classes given equal representation? How do the classes in "Avalon" relate to the classes that realistically existed in Medieval England and Iceland?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

Consider the relationship between the characters and the setting for "Avalon." Think about the way that the characters are described, their characteristics, the conflicts that they face, the actions they take, and their emotional reactions. Compare these qualities to the setting--to the way that it is described, to the particular things that are described, and to the words that are used to describe the place(s) where "Avalon" takes place. Explain how the setting of "Avalon" is representative (or not) of the characters.

(see the answer keys)

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