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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 Ibn notice the Northmen fear?

2. What skill does Ibn say is most noticeable on the first leg of his journey with the Northmen?

3. What is the differences between Ibn's observations of the Vikings and the general European view of them at that time?

4. What does Ibn do where they stop?

5. Why are Ibn and his party taken captive?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Crichton say about Ibn's observations of the Vikings?

2. What is Ibn's writing style and why does he write like that?

3. How does Chapter One begin and what does the writer say about himself?

4. How does Ibn describe the rivers where he travels?

5. Who tells Ibn about the wendol and what does he say?

6. How do the Northmen hold funeral rites for their leader?

7. What is the river Gayih like and what happens when Ibn crosses it?

8. What hits the land right after the burial and what does Ibn notice about the Northmen?

9. What do Buliwyf and his group find in a farmhouse and what does Buliwyf find there that he smashes?

10. What trouble are the Northmen experiencing when Ibn meets them?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There are a number of interesting questions raised by "Eaters of the Dead". Questions that Crichton most likely want readers to consider and think through carefully. Discuss the following:

1. What does the term "author agenda" mean?

2. Name one idea/concept you think may have been a part of the Crichton's agenda. Analyze that idea throughout the book and discuss Crichton's probable agenda concerning that idea.

2. Do you think writers who have an agenda for writing should point it out in a preface?

3. How often do you think fiction is written with a clear agenda in mind by the author?

4. Research the life of Crichton and if/where his life may have influenced his writing.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the following:

1. Who is/are the protagonists of the story and why?

2. Who is/are the antagonists of the story and why?

3. Which 3 secondary characters have the greatest impact on the plot?

4. Are any of the characters dispensable and which ones? Why or why not?

5. Do you think this is a character-driven plot or an action-driven plot? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

Wyglif's possessions are divided into three parts: one for his family, one to purchase a girl to die with him, and the last to be buried alongside him. A wild party ensues in which the Northmen get very drunk and indulge their pleasures with various women. A woman comes forward to say she will be buried with Wyglif. The girl is taken into a hut where she is raped by all of Wyglif's men. She is then held down by two men while the Angel of Death slits the girl's throat.

1. Discuss the status of slaves in the Northmen society based on the statement above. Use examples from "Eaters of the Dead" and your own research to support your answer.

2. Discuss the status of women in a culture that encourages gang rape of a woman. Use examples from the book and your own research to support your answer.

3. How do you think the above burial practice, if viewed from a modern perspective, might demonstrate the evolution of the human race? Use examples from the book and your own life to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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