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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. Who is the first person of Birle's family to spot her after her return home?

2. Why is the Earl (Orien's grandfather) initially impatient with Birle?

3. What do the nailed hands represent?

4. Where does Birle think she and Orien will be the safest as Orien heals?

5. What is Joaquim's goal?

Short Essay Questions

1. What changes once Orien is back in the Kingdom?

2. What does Birle decide at the end of Chapter 19?

3. What sort of reputation has Birle earned in Chapter 17 amongst the people of the city while being a slave?

4. What does Birle come to understand about Gladaegal?

5. How does Corbel see Birle differently now in Chapter 16?

6. What does Birle understand about Nan?

7. What is Birle grateful for having known?

8. What is decided upon in Chapter 20 of how they will be set free?

9. Birle sees a hand nailed to a board holding a gold coin and she finds out that there is another hand on the other side as well as the heads that go with the hands elsewhere at the marketplace. What do these represent and who are they?

10. How do the Lord's sentences seem on Hearing Day?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The setting is extremely important to the novel. Although Birle and Orien are from the Kingdom, they end up many places outside of it. Discuss the importance of setting. What does it accomplish? What is the setting of the novel and what are a few examples of the places Birle and Orien travel to. What is their importance?

Essay Topic 2

There are many characters in the novel that Birle and Orien meet. Choose one character and analyze him/her. Who is this character and what purpose does he/she serve to the story? What is his/her relationship to Birle and Orien?

Essay Topic 3

We meet Gladaegal as we near the end of the novel. Compare and contrast Gladaegal and Orien. How is their relationship with one another? Who might make a better Earl, and why?

(see the answer keys)

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