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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. Why do Eirik and Thorvald leave Norway?

2. Where do Karlsefni and Gudrid settle for the remainder of their lives?

3. What do Thorvald and Eirik do because "of some killings" in Jaederen?

4. What does Eirik lend to Thorgest?

5. What arrangement does Freydis have with the brothers Helgi and Finnbogi?

Short Essay Questions

1. What kind of person is Freydis? Give examples.

2. How does Leif become aware of Freydis' behavior on Vinland and what does he do about it?

3. Describe the land that Thorvald and his men reported seeing all up and down the coast.

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

5. What response does Bjarni receive when he shares his sighting of the new land?

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

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

8. How did Eirik know to look for Greenland? What did he do when he found it?

9. What happens between the natives and Thorvald and his crew? Describe the encounter.

10. Describe what happens as Leif and his crew try to approach the shore of the mainland.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Several times in the sagas we see a prophecy delivered and taken seriously. Write an essay about the Viking tradition of prophecy.

Part 1. Were the Vikings, in general, a superstitious people? Give examples. What, other than prophecies, did they believe in?

Part 2. How seriously did the Vikings take prophecies?

Part 3. What were some of the common ways for Vikings to receive prophecies?

Part 4. What evidence of prophecies is there in the Vinland Sagas?

Essay Topic 2

The historical novel "The Thrall's Tale" takes place during the sagas. Read the novel and then analyze the novel's connections to the sagas.

Part 1. Introduce and summarize the novel.

Part 2. During which saga does the action of the novel take place? What events happen in both?

Part 3. Which characters from the novel are also characters from the sagas? Are they consistent with their portrayal in the sagas? Does the fiction created surrounding the characters seem likely or plausible? Why or why not?

Part 4. According to you, how well did the author of "The Thrall's Tale" weave her fiction into the sagas? What did she do well and what could she have done better?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay about Erik the Red.

Part 1. Who was Erik the Red? When and where did he live and die?

Part 2. How do we know about Erick the Red? What sources do we have regarding him?

Part 3. Write a brief biography about Erik the Red. Include what he did throughout his life and his reasons for doing those things. Who were his children?

(see the answer keys)

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