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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. Arthur remains in ____, where the king is reluctant to lose his warlord.

2. ____ is the thing of Britain that is discussed mainly at the High Council.

3. Arthur joins Tewdric on a mission of peace to meet ____.

4. As Gundleus greets his wife, he plunges his sword into her and stabs the ____.

5. ____ is where the princess went into labor.

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain the consequences of Arthur marrying Guinevere.

2. Explain how Derfel's initiation mirrors modern-day practices.

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

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

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

6. Explain how the meeting between Gorfyddyd, Cuneglas and Arthur gives further detail tot he marriage plan that Arthur has and how, in general, marriages seem to be used in Arthur's time.

7. Why does Derfel understand, and even respect, Arthur's plan to elope?

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Inner conflict is a major problem for certain characters in the story. For example, Derfel feels conflicted about his knowledge of the tin miners incident. Arthur feels conflicted about his marriage to Ceinwyn and later, about having to trade innocent lives for help in the larger battle.

Part 1: Explain two other examples of characters with inner conflicts in the book.

Part 2: Do you agree with how those inner conflicts are resolved? Why or why not? If not, what would you do differently?

Part 3: In what ways did those inner conflicts create exterior conflicts? For example, in the case of Arthur being conflicted over marriage, it sparked an entire war.

Essay Topic 2

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

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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