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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 Donuil?

2. What does Athol agree to in regard to Arthur?

3. Who sends a group of men to attack Merlyn and his group at the end of Chapter 10?

4. What prevents the men from traveling around Eire as they had hoped?

5. What astounds everyone about Merlyn and Ambrose?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Merlyn believe that Arthur's destiny is?

2. How do the men of Eire react to the size of the boar tusks that Dedalus shows them in Chapter 12?

3. What happens when Ironhair blocks Merlyn's way in Chapter 6?

4. What prevents Merlyn from realizing that he is not, in fact, alone when he goes to visit a secret vale in Chapter 6?

5. Why is Ludmilla familiar to Merlyn when they meet in Chapter 3?

6. What is problematic about Merlyn's decision to bring horses as a gift to Donuil's father?

7. How does Merlyn first interpret his dream in which he is flying right before he and his men are supposed to leave for Eire?

8. Why does Ambrose think that Merlyn knows about his relationship with Ludmilla?

9. What does Merlyn imagine the leper colony to be like before he arrives?

10. Why does Merlyn remove the ring from around baby Arthur's neck in Chapter 1?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze at least 4 different ways the story of "The Saxon Shore" would change if the setting were in a major, modern, metropolitan area.

Essay Topic 2

Analyze at least 3 different literary techniques Whyte uses to create tension in "The Saxon Shore."

Essay Topic 3

Discuss at least 3 challenges an author, like Whyte, faces when writing a story that takes place so long ago in history. Make sure to use at least 3 examples from "The Saxon Shore" to support your position.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 780 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample