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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. To whom does Sir Percivale tell the story of "The Holy Grail"?

2. Where does Tristram take a second wife in "The Last Tournament"?

3. What does Ettarre do once Pelleas wins the prize for her in the tournament?

4. Who at the convent knows Guinevere's identity in "Guinevere"?

5. By whom is the boy beaten when he arrives at Arthur's court before the tournament in "The Last Tournament"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Tennyson break apart from the medieval vision of love in "Lancelot and Elaine" - and essentially in the book as a whole?

2. What does Arthur think of the night before the battle in "The Passing of Arthur"?

3. What does the exposition reveal of the diamonds in "Lancelot and Elaine"?

4. What can desire do to the human soul, as per the allegory in "Guinevere"? What of anger?

5. What is Arthur's justification for his anger at the knights for taking the oath in "The Holy Grail"?

6. How does Tennyson's version of "Lancelot and Elaine" embody Romantic notions of love?

7. What is the principle plot of "Pelleas and Ettarre"?

8. What allegory does Tennyson refer to in "To the Queen"?

9. What does Percivale give as the exposition of how the Holy Grail came about?

10. How does Tennyson depict Gawain in "Pelleas and Ettarre"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Tennyson's use of symbolism and motif in "Idylls of the King." How do these examples illustrate the stories' themes?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the stories of "Gareth and Lynette" and "Pelleas and Ettarre." What themes do these stories share? How do they differ in their outcomes?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the subject of sorcery in "Idylls of the King." Who represents this concept in particular? How did this character originate? What was the medieval belief of magic?

(see the answer keys)

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