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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. Hearing what name causes everyone's attitude to change in the city that Birle and Orien are taken to?

2. How do the people of the village bathe in the winter, according to Birle?

3. Thinking about what makes Birle NOT want to return to the Inn?

4. What aspect of human nature is exemplified by Birle in this first chapter?

5. The man who rescues Orien and Birle trades what for their rescue?

Short Essay Questions

1. Joaquim and Corbel are brothers, yet they are vastly different. Briefly describe their differences and mention why Corbel keeps Joaquim around.

2. What drives Birle to suggest that she travel with the Lord, and what compels him to agree?

3. What convinces the Lord to accept Birle as a traveling companion?

4. In what ways does Birle demonstrate her independence and usefulness to the reader and Orien in Chapter 3?

5. What new information do we find out about Birle's family and life in Chapter 7?

6. Describe Ker and Torson's treatment of Orien and Birle.

7. Describe how Birle is treated by the middling man.

8. Why does Birle agree to marry Muir, and how does she feel about the wedding near the end of Chapter 2?

9. Briefly describe the discussion about Doubt that the Lord and Birle have.

10. What do Ker and Torson say when Orien tells them of his heritage, and where he and Birle are from?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

From start to finish, Birle has a very independent nature. As the heroine of the novel, is her independence refreshing? Is it appropriate for the time period the novel is set in? How is she independent and what does her independence say about her character? How has this trait helped her or impeded her? How did she develop her independence and has it driven her to make the write or wrong choices? Give several examples from the novel to support your claims.

Essay Topic 2

Yul is an interesting character who is present for a large portion of the novel. He has a special connection with Birle. Analyze and discuss this connection that they share. How did it start? Could Birle have this kind of connection with anyone else? What do these two go through together? What eventually leads them to separate? Does this mean that their connection is also severed?

Essay Topic 3

Birle wants control of her own life and situations, but she continually feels that fortune has a hand in everything. Joaquim even says "There are some who say that the Lady Fortune has a wheel , and all men are fixed upon it. The wheel turns, the men rise or fall, with the turning of the wheel." What does Joaquim mean with this statement? Who is Lady Fortune and how does it relate to Birle's view of fortune? How does fortune take away Birle's control?

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