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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. ____ is the name of a king in the story.

2. The High Council aims at forging peace among ____.

3. Ailleann's twins are Loholt and ____.

4. Derfel works the fields, trains, and learns about Merlin, Arthur, and the ____.

5. ____, who is pregnant, is staying in Lindinis when Arthur takes his men north to winter in Corinium.

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the religious focus of Chapter 2.

2. How does Mordred escape death at Gundleus' hands?

3. Describe the baby that is born at the start of the novel.

4. In general, what sort of attitude does Arthur seem to have up to this point in the story?

5. What gift does Ceinwyn give to Derfel, why does she give it, and why does it have significance to Derfel?

6. Explain the High Council's attitude toward what is going on with Arthur and Mordred as they hold their meeting.

7. Explain how Arthur treats Gundleus and your opinions of it.

8. Explain the evil acts that Gundelus does involving Norwenna and Nimue.

9. Why does Arthur ask Derfel to check on Guinevere?

10. Explain why Uther holds the first High Council in Britain in sixty years.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The entire novel is told from Derfel's perspective, but perspective can alter the way a story is remembered or retold.

Part 1: How accurate or inaccurate do you think Derfel's perspective was throughout the story and why?

Part 2: Do you think that Derfel told the story with a specific emphasis on one particular theme, such as love, religion or honor, or do you think he told a well-rounded story?

Part 3: Which character in the story do you feel would have disagreed with Derfel's interpretation the most and why? Use at least two examples from the story to back up your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the characters of Lancelot and Galahad. What makes one better than the other at certain things? For example, even though Lancelot is a liar, is he a better fighter than Galahad? Why or why not? Is Galahad automatically a better person than Lancelot, since, presumably, Galahad does not lie or does Galahad have other faults? If so, what are they?

Essay Topic 3

There are many male characters in positions of power in the novel. Choose any two from the following list and compare and contrast them to each other by writing lists of each character's traits or how they acted in certain situations. Write about two of your favorite characters and why based on that information.

1. Arthur

2. Gorfyddyd

3. Lancelot

4. Derfel

5. Galahad

6. Tristan

(see the answer keys)

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