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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 is the little maid doing when she hears Vainamoinen?

2. What does the water mother's baby do when he is born?

3. Who helps Vainamoinen complete the tasks so that he can marry?

4. What prayer does Lemmenkainen make after his snowshoes break?

5. When Vainamoinen's finally arrives at his destination, how is his arrival first announced?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What happens when Vainamoinen disapproves of Joukahainen's stories?

3. What happens when Lemminkainen and the Lord of Pohja start a conjuring duel?

4. What additional challenges does Louhi assign to Lemminkainen?

5. How do Vainamoinen and Ilmarinen liberate the sun and moon from the cave?

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

7. How does Vainamoinen convince Vipunen to tell him the three magic words?

8. What happens after Vainamoinen refuses to cease working at his blacksmith's shop inside of Vipunen?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Several characters tell stories in the Kalevala. What makes a good story? What makes a bad story? What are the rewards or consequences of telling a good or bad story? Does the Kalevala itself meet its own criteria for a good story? How does the poetic form of the Kalevala contribute to its value as a story?

Essay Topic 2

Is the Kalevala for children or for adults? Is it for everyone? Use examples from the tales to describe what the Kalevala offers for either audience.

Essay Topic 3

Sometimes characters are brought back to life in the Kalevala. Who or what determines whether characters are let to die or are brought back to life? Is there a Fate-like agency that decides? Or is it the whim of the story? Choose three examples of characters dying or being brought back to life and from those instances, describe the significance of death in the Kalevala.

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This section contains 898 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample