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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. Owain talks about falsifying tax records and plots with a greedy ____.

2. ____ is the name of the High King who was in his last year, as the monk's story began.

3. ____ is the name of the queen.

4. The Franks call the defenders forest ____.

5. Leodegan controls Dumnonia's ____.

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Describe the character of Derfel and his role as the novel opens..

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

4. Do you think that it's good or bad that Ynys Trebes is full of poets instead of warriors?

5. Explain why Arthur does not fight Owain with Excalibur and how Arthur has an advantage in the fight anyway.

6. Explain the consequences of Arthur marrying Guinevere.

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

8. Explaina Arthur's role in Dumnonia as he prepares to leave to winter in Corinium.

9. Explain why Arthur plans to marry Ceinwyn and whether or not you agree with that decision.

10. Describe Norwenna's attitude, after Uther's death.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Betrayal is a major theme in the book. List three detailed examples of where betrayal comes into play in the story. Then, based on your answers and your other knowledge of the book, explain which character you feel betrayed other characters the most in the book. Do you feel that those acts of betrayal were justified in any way? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Love versus honor is a key theme in the novel. For example, Arthur promised to marry Ceinwyn and then did a dishonorable thing by eloping with Guinevere, but he did so because he was following his heart.

Part 1: Do you feel that Arthur was right to marry Guinevere? Why or why not?

Part 2: Why do you think that Derfel agreed with Arthur's decision to marry Guinevere when most people viewed it as dishonorable?

Part 3: Is there another way in which Arthur could have married Guinevere and still kept peace with Gorfyddyd? What could he have tried, rather than eloping?

Essay Topic 3

The female characters in the story, such as Ceinwyn, are often used as pawns in a bid to win power or unite kingdoms. Write a detailed essay describing two times where that occurred in the novel and also describing how you feel about the women being used in such a way. Would you have done something differently, if you were in charge of the situation? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 974 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample