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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 secret does Hagen elicit from Kriemhild?

2. How does Siegfried subdue Brunhild?

3. How does Brunhild greet Kriemhild when Siegfried and Kriemhild arrive in Burgundy?

4. Why does Siegfried go to bring rare warriors to Isenstein after the contest between Gunther and Brunhild is over?

5. Who counsels the messengers who take Kriemhild's message across the Rhine?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the test of innocence that Kriemhild demands of the men she deems guilty of her husband's murder.

2. What happens when Bloedelin confronts Hagen and his men?

3. What is Kriemhild's role in Gunther's suit of Brunhild?

4. What does Hagen do when he hears that Dankwart has been attacked and that Bloedelin has been killed?

5. Why does Hagen advise Gunther that the messengers should be prevented from returning to Hungary for as long as possible?

6. What does Alberich, the dwarf treasurer from Nibelung, lament about as the treasure is being retrieved for Siegfried's queen, Kriemhild?

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

8. Why does Hagen attempt to explain to Gelpfrat what actually happens to the ferryman?

9. What happens after Etzel's men jostle Gunther's men as they leave Etzel's feast?

10. Why do Gunther and Gernot decide to introduce Kriemhild to Siegfried, even though she has never been introduced to a knight before?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

When Kriemhild and Gunther are readying to leave Burgundy, she is invited to take one thousand warriors with her. She asks Hagen and Ortwin to be her liegemen, but Hagen refuses. Gunther does not involve himself in this issue and, in the end, she does not take them. Write an essay that explains the significance of Hagen's refusal and Gunther's lack of commitment with Hagen's response to his sister? How does this foreshadow events that occur in later in the poem?

Essay Topic 2

Knowing how the story ends, was Gunther and Gernot's action wise when they decided to introduce Kriemhild to Siegfried? Write an essay that explains whether the story of carnage and destruction that starts through the introduction of Kriemhild to Siegfried is destined to end as it does or whether free will determines the events. Provide examples from the novel to support your argument.

Essay Topic 3

There are great differences between King Gunther and his most trusted adviser, Hagen. Neither one is exactly what is expected based on their roles as ruler and leigeman. This is evidenced clearly time after time in the poem. Compare and contrast Gunther and Hagen in at least three areas, including their reactions, choices, personal attributes, tendencies, behaviors, skills, or abilities. Use specific examples from the poem to support your argument.

(see the answer keys)

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