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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 Aud Do in Orkney after she hears of the death of Thorstein the Red?

2. What is different about the trip Karlsefni makes to Vinland from the previous ones?

3. What is the land like that Bjarni sees first?

4. What drives Thorvald and his men to shore the second summer?

5. According to the prophecy, where will Gudrid go on pilgrimage?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the interactions the settlers have with the natives.

2. Explain the entire affair of Eirik and the bench-boards.

3. Describe the descendants of Karlsefni and Gudrid.

4. Describe how Eirik the Red felt about the possibility of joining Leif's exploration crew and why he did not.

5. How do Leif and his men find grapes? Describe the incident.

6. Why was Bjarni determined to reach Greenland? What did he do there when he did?

7. What happens to Thorstein and his crew when they set sail for Vinland? Where do they end up spending the winter?

8. What strategy do Leif and his men employ to explore the area around them on this new shore?

9. Explain why Eirik chose the name Greenland.

10. Describe the woman that Gudrid sees and the discourse between them.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about many popular misconceptions about Vikings.

Part 1. What is the popular image of a Viking?

Part 2. What parts of the popular image of a Viking are wrong?

Part 3. Provide explanations or evidence that suggests that these popular misconceptions are not historical.

Part 4. What might historical Vikings have been like instead?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay about the Hebrides and the role of the Vikings in their history.

Part 1. Where are the Hebrides? What is their geology like? Give an introduction to the Hebrides.

Part 2. Why might have the Hebrides been so aptly suited to Viking settlements? Explain the safety and accessibility of the Hebrides.

Part 3. When did Vikings first arrive on the Hebrides? How long did they stay? Give examples and cite particulars.

Part 4. What evidence remains, archeological and otherwise, of the Viking occupation of the Hebrides?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay about women in Viking culture.

Part 1. How did the rights of viking women compare with the rights of women in other areas of Europe?

Part 2. What traditions surrounded the processes of marriage and divorce?

Part 3. What were the roles and responsibilities of women in a marriage and society?

(see the answer keys)

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