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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 Vainamoinen do when Louhi offers him food?

2. What name is the Water-Mother given?

3. What do Vainamoinen and Ilmarinen agree to do when they arrive where they are going?

4. What is Joukahainen's mother's reaction to Aino's marriage to Vainamoinen?

5. What does Joukahainen do when he meets Vainamoinen?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens when Lemminkainen decides to go to the wedding?

2. How does the Storyteller describe the purpose of his stories at the end?

3. How do Joukahainen's mother and sister feel about the deal Joukahainen struck with Vainamoinen?

4. What happens when Lemminkainen happens upon the home of Louhi on his way to Pohja?

5. What kind of stories does Joukahainen tell?

6. What does Annikki do when she sees Vainamoinen sailing for Pohja?

7. How does Ilmarinen fix the destruction caused by the light the Creator sent down to earth when the sun and moon were stolen?

8. What does Vainamoinen suggest when the Old Man says that Marjetta's son must be tested before he can be baptized?

9. Describe Lemminkainen and Kyllikki's arrival at Lemminkainen's home.

10. How does Kullervo end up being sold to Ilmarinen?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Do the characters in the Kalevala show personal growth over the course of the tales? Do they simply represent eternal personalities? Are they unchanging gods, or are they human beings who learn and grow? Answer with specific examples from the text.

Essay Topic 2

What role does marriage and courtship play in the Kalevala? Cite three instances of marriage or courtship and describe the consequences of each. Does marriage settle or unsettle relationships between characters? Is it promising or threatening? What is at stake when someone proposes marriage?

Essay Topic 3

Describe three transformations in the Kalevala. How do characters change shape or take different forms? Which characters have this ability? Which do not? How would you characterize this power of transformation? Is it merely a narrative ploy, or were there characters in Finnish culture who were once supposed to have had this power?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 846 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample