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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 Aliena suggest Richard should do with the bandits?

2. What does Philip model the plans for a new town after?

3. What does Tom give to Jack that no other man could give?

4. Who does William hire to build a new church in Shiring?

5. What condition does Philip give Jack if he wants to be master builder of the cathedral?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Jack invent an ingenious cloth felter for Aliena?

2. Describe the scene between Jack and Alfred after Alfred tells Jack that his real father was hanged as a thief.

3. What does Aliena teach Elizabeth when they meet each other when seeking shelter from a storm?

4. Why is Jack angry with the conditions Philip gives him in order for him to be master builder of Kingsbridge cathedral?

5. Why does Alfred come to see Jack after 10 years with no communication?

6. Why does Richard decide to join the Christian crusades fighting in the Holy Land?

7. How is William's mismanagement of Shiring evident throughout the countryside?

8. What are the aftereffects of William's attack on Kingsbridge on the citizens of the town?

9. Summarize what takes place when William Hamleigh and his men attack the Kingsbridge market.

10. Summarize the first meeting between Jack and Aliena when Jack finds her reading in the woods.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

1) Compare and contrast the characters of Richard and William Hamleigh.

2) Summarize the impact each character has on one another.

3) How is each character realistic in their struggles to attain the earldom?

4) Is Richard or William more effective in their methods of requiring Shiring?

5) Cite examples from the novel to support the answer.

Essay Topic 2

1) Describe the steps Aliena must go through in order to start up her wool business.

2) What supplies does she purchase, who does she consult, and what business associates does she meet?

3) How does Aliena adapt her business to grow and prosper through the years?

4) Summarize the prosperous times, as well as the times of hardship.

Essay Topic 3

1) Interpret the feelings Aliena and Jack have for each other when they begin their relationship.

2) Are their emotions authentic? Are they truthful with each other?

3) Compare these emotions with how they interact later in the novel, after they become parents of two children.

4) What regrets do they have as their relationship progresses through the novel?

5) How does their relationship differ from the first part of the novel?

(see the answer keys)

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