View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Kriemhild tell the minister when she is reviling Kriemhild?

2. Where does Kriemhild lodge on her way to Etzel?

3. Who discovers Siegfried's body?

4. What does Hagen do with the Nibelungers' treasure?

5. Which of these characters is not a brother of Kriemhild?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain how it comes to pass that Siegfried cannot be wounded, except in one small spot.

2. How does Etzel's marriage proposal come about?

3. How do Hagen and his men clear the hall?

4. Why is Dancwart told by some Hunnish warriors that he must be his own messenger to Hagen?

5. Who is Eckewart and what is his role in Gunther's men's trip into Hungary?

6. In Adventure 4, why is Siegfried leading King Gunther's soldiers?

7. What is the story that Hagen relates to Gunther about Siegfried?

8. What does Hagen do with the Nibelungers' treasure?

9. Describe Kriemhild's relationship with her new land.

10. How does Rudeger convince Kriemhild to accept Etzel's offer of marriage?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the animosity between Brunhild and Kriemhild. Why could they not be brought into some kind of peaceful relationship? What prevented their peace? How did other characters either feed or neglect to resolve their animosity?

Essay Topic 2

Hagen is a very important character in this poem. Without Hagen there is no murder of Siegfried. What kind of a person is Hagen? One way to highlight his true character is to provide a foil in the poem to highlight certain aspects of his makeup and help the reader decipher his motivations. Write an essay that compares and contrasts Hagen to his brother, Dancwart. What does the foil character reveal about Hagen that we would not know otherwise? Provide at least three examples and use the poem to support your assertions.

Essay Topic 3

Write a three-part essay that analyzes Kriemhild's culpability for her husband's murder. Pick three events or situations from the poem that you think give Kriemhild culpability for the murder of her husband and explain your point of view. Then take the opposite point of view of those events or situations and explain why Kriemhild can also be considered blameless, or nearly blameless. In the final section, provide your opinion about the most reasonable assessment of Kriemhild's culpability. Provide examples from the poem to support your arguments.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 933 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample