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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 Buliwyf do as the warriors near Hurot?

2. What do the wendols look like when not dressed for war?

3. Where does the wendol's mother live?

4. What does Buliwyf do when they see the wendol coming?

5. What does a dwarf tell Buliwyf about the attack in the desert of dread?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Ibn finally able to leave Rothgar's Hall?

2. What does Ibn see as the wendol approach at night and what does he think it is?

3. What is one of the new defenses around Hurot and what do the women do with water and why do they do it?

4. How does Wiglif end up dead?

5. What do the Northmen do around mid-morning the day after the second battle?

6. What does Buliwyf tell Ibn and ask him to do?

7. How does Ibn feel when he looks at the cliffs, what does he tell Herger and what does Herger tell him?

8. What does Buliwyf do the night the wendol attack after they kill the mother and how does he look?

9. What is the landscape like in the Desert of Dread?

10. What do the riders see when they look down on an encampment?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Oftentimes, a book has more of a character-driven plot rather than action driven, and oftentimes the other way. Some books seem to balance the two. Discuss the following:

1. What do you think it means to say that a plot is character driven? Action driven?

2. How do you think a plot differs if it is character driven versus action driven?

3. Which type of plot do you find more interesting? Why?

4. Do you think it is possible to have a plot where action and character development share equal time? Why or why not.

5. What type of plot do you think Eaters of the Dead is? Explain your response.

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

Ibn Fadlan's writing style may be strange to readers. Ibn Fadlan does a wonderful job of baiting the reader's attention. He tells of coming to a forest and seeing mountains with hot springs gushing from them. These areas sound enchanting to the reader but he is left to devise a mental picture on his own. Ibn Fadlan does not offer flowing descriptions of the land he passes through or even comment on how he feels about the journey.

1. Did Ibn's writing style entice you to read farther or did you feel it was not interesting? Why or why not?

Use examples from "Eaters of the Dead" and your own life to support your answer.

2. Would you rather read a book about a place you have never seen with a lot of description or just a minimal so that you can visualize your own picture? Explain why you would prefer one or the other. Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

3. Do you think the book would have been more interesting if more of Ibn's feelings had been shown? Why or why not? Use examples from "Eaters of the Dead" and your own life to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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