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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 Thorfinn Karlsfni?

2. What do the traders offer Eirik the Red when they arrive at Brattahlid?

3. What does Thorgunna ask of Leif?

4. What happens on the trip to Greenland?

5. Which of the following best describes the clothes of the prophetess Thorbjorg?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the corpse of Thorstein Eriksson say about the dead? What do the people do after hearing it?

2. What happens when a native finds an axe near one of the fallen Vikings?

3. What prophecy does Gudrid hear about her future? Who tells her this future?

4. What does Eirik the Red do upon departing for Vinland that he suspects causes him to fall off his horse? What does he do to resolve it?

5. How does Karlsefni's mother feel about Gudrid when she meets her and how does that change over time?

6. How does Freydis drive away the natives giving chase?

7. How do Haki and Hekja come to be on the expedition to Vinland? Where are they from?

8. Explain the encounter with the uniped.

9. Summarize the part Thorhall plays in the expedition to Vinland, including how it ends for both him and Karlsefni.

10. When food runs scarce, Thorhall disappears for three days. How and where do Karlsefni and Bjarni find him? What does he say he was doing?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

There are many characters that make a brief appearance in the sagas that merit more attention, for example, Aud the Deep-Minded. Choose a minor character in the sagas and do some further research about them. If there is little information about the person you choose, then write about two different characters.

Part 1. What character or character did you choose to learn more about? Why?

Part 2. Describe the person or persons and what they did.

Part 3. Why is this significant or meaningful? What impact did they have?

Essay Topic 3

How did the Vikings compare as shipbuilders, seamen and explorers to their contemporaries?

Part 1. As explorers and sea voyagers, how did the vikings compare to others of their time?

Part 2. What kind of ships did the Vikings use? What were the advantages and disadvantages of these ships? How were they made?

Part 3. What influence did the Viking ships have on other nautical customs of the time? What legacy have they left behind?

(see the answer keys)

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