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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. After Lostris disappears from the festivities on the shore, where does Taita find her?
(a) In the ship's stronghold.
(b) In her own tent with Tanus.
(c) In Tanus's tent with him.
(d) In Hapi's temple with Tanus.

2. Pharaoh's palace is in the southernmost part of Egypt. What reason do some people give for this?
(a) To be farther away from Lord Intef.
(b) To be as far as possible from the strife in the north.
(c) To be able to extend his borders south.
(d) To be closer to the mouth of the Nile, a holy place.

3. Out of the thirteen barons, how many are killed in this first battle with Tanus?
(a) Nine.
(b) Three.
(c) Eleven.
(d) Four.

4. How are Taita's animals killed?
(a) By starvation.
(b) With a jar of poisoned honey.
(c) With a jar of poisoned goat's milk.
(d) With arrows.

5. What does Taita conspicuously display over the harem wall the morning after Lostris's wedding?
(a) The flowers that had been in Lostris's hair the day before.
(b) A blood-stained sheet from Lostris's bed.
(c) Lostris's blood-stained wedding skirt.
(d) Pharaoh's seal symbolizing his approval of Lostris.

Short Answer Questions

1. When a beggar boy asks for alms from Taita, what does Taita give him?

2. Why is Taita valuable to Lord Intef?

3. How is Lostris thrown from the Breath of Horus?

4. What does Taita do the night Lostris is first called in to visit Pharaoh?

5. Contrary to Pharaoh's plans, why does Lostris set out to charm him?

Short Essay Questions

1. What scheme does Taita dream up to help Tanus engage the Shrikes in battle for the first time? How is this scheme something that perhaps only Taita would think of?

2. Why is Lord Intef delighted to arrange the marriage between Lostris and Pharaoh? What plans does he reveal to Taita? How does even this brief interaction show Taita's unstable position in the court?

3. What condition is Tanus in when Taita finally finds him? How is this condition similar to Lostris's desire for death on her wedding night? How is Taita able to save Tanus in much the same way he saved Lostris?

4. How does Lostris interact with Pharaoh during their first three months of marriage? Though Smith does not say this is so many words, how does Pharaoh reveal his true character during this time?

5. What will be the crowning moment of Pharaoh's life? What is Taita's reaction to this moment and how does the reaction seem contrary to Egyptian thought?

6. What power does Pharaoh's seal have? Why must a man acknowledge it, as Tanus does when Neter comes to arrest him? Is this seal a sign of power or of weakness?

7. How does Taita foreshadow the coming marriage for Lostris? How does this affect the element of surprise within the novel?

8. What happens in the tombs during the three-day sandstorm? How does Taita reveal the deepest sadness that is in his heart? What does this say about his character?

9. What does Taita learn from his friend Tiamat about the Shrikes? How does this explain the destitution of Egypt and the weakness of Pharaoh?

10. What is the significance of the double crown of Egypt? Why might Taita mention it so often when he describes Pharaoh?

(see the answer keys)

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