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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 warns the men of Ulster of the pending war?

2. What is used for hobbling animals?

3. What is strange about Fedelm?

4. What is given in exchange for the baby born at the inn?

5. How does Cuchulainn halt the army's progress upon Ulster?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Cuchulainn slow down the great army? What is unusual about his technique? How does the army adjust?

2. Who is Setanta?

3. Who is Fedelm? What is unique about her and what message does she share with Medb?

4. What happens when Cuchulainn realizes he has killed his son?

5. How did Cuchulainn get his name?

6. Who is the first person Cuchulainn kills with the gae bolga? Explain the circumstances that result in the death.

7. Why does Macha curse the men of Ulster?

8. Why does Cuchulainn spare Orlam's charioteer, then kill him later?

9. How does Derdriu die?

10. Who does Derdriu marry and how does their marriage occur?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the primary theme of The Tain? How does the author present this theme? How does the theme develop throughout the story?

Essay Topic 2

Identify and discuss five points of foreshadowing from the novel. Did the author use foreshadowing effectively? Why or why not? Define foreshadowing in your essay as well.

Essay Topic 3

What is the mood of a novel or literary work? What was the mood of this novel? Was it consistent throughout or did it vary? Define the term mood and use examples from the text to support your thoughts.

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