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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 does the Arab soldier tell Charlemagne and Garin a blood wager will bring to the person making the wager?

2. What year is it when the novel opens?

3. Why is Catherine told that her telephone communications will receive the highest priority?

4. What causes the mystical spell to be broken?

5. Who was Cardinal Rihelieu?

Short Essay Questions

1. What surprise does Mireille find out about herself on the journey to Corsica?

2. How does the Abbess make it impossible for any one person to reveal the details of her plan to ensure the safety of the pieces of the chess set?

3. When David arrives, what information does he find out about Valentine and what happens to her?

4. What does Catherine find as she gets ready for bed after leaving a message for Nim on his private line?

5. Why do Valentine and Mireille leave their place of safety to meet Sister Claude and what happens when they get to the appointed meeting place?

6. What steps does Catherine take on her own once she and Lily split up to complete research?

7. What is the treasure of the Abbey which the Abbess and nuns vow cannot fall into the hands of the Bishop of Autun?

8. Why does Catherine Velis believe that she is being sent to Algeria by her accounting firm?

9. What is the meaning of the title, "Pawn to Queen's Fourth", of this section of the novel and where is the title described?

10. What does Kamel tell Catherine he has done to ensure she is available and able to complete the work he wants her to complete?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

At the beginning of the novel. the character of Catherine asks the rhetorical question as to what might happen if America should lose control of the world's oil supply. Toward the middle of the novel this rhetorical question is given real meaning. Why do you think the author included this line of thinking? Is it part of the puzzle? If so, in what way?

Essay Topic 2

Throughout the novel, the the author incorporates real-life historical figures into the novel's fictionalized plot. Describe why the author might have chosen this technique. Do you believe it is effective? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

What two functions did the character Corday serve in the novel? Which function was a clever incorporation of fiction into fact? Evaluate the author's skill at accomplishing this task.

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