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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 tell Jack she is going to do after ten years of living apart?

2. What does Richard do to avoid being arrested by William?

3. What is the advice William's mother gives him about how to become the earl of Shiring?

4. What is the response of the masons when Jack tells them he has to let half the workers go?

5. What does Alfred do when he is unable to perform on his wedding night?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the young wife of William Hamleigh.

2. What does Waleran tell William he should do in order to earn more money for the earldom?

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

4. What happens when Jack and Aliena bring the Weeping Madonna, which was a gift from Jack's friend, Raschid, to Kingsbridge?

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

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

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

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

9. What is Aliena's idea involving the starving outlaws who attack Kingsbridge in the search for food?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

1) Analyze the structure of the novel.

2) What is the central conflict that is carried forward through each part of the novel?

3) Summarize the plot's climax and resolution.

4) Are the characterizations in the story realistic?

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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