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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. What does the boy return to Sparta wrapped in so as to show his victory?

2. Before the armies match to Hot Gates, where do they have to pass in their march?

3. The men who are marching are armed with short _______ and heavy spears.

4. When Leonidas announces he is going for a walk, in what direction does he say he will travel?

5. What kind of terrain is Leonidas leading his men over as the day continues to be hot and oppressive?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Leonidas think about the ephors and their ruling about whether the Spartans can fight?

2. What kind of instrument is being played by a man at the beginning of the troops?

3. Why does Leonidas believe he brought more soldiers than anyone, even though Daxos' group is larger?

4. Describe the area in which the ephors live during this second chapter of the book.

5. Why is Daxos disappointed with Leonidas when he sees him marching toward his own group of troops?

6. What is one of the reasons why Leonidas refuses to send the sign of subjugation to the Persian king?

7. What does the Persian envoy tell Leonidas to send to the Persian king as a sign of subjugation?

8. What happens to Stelios as he marches in the weather at the beginning of the novel?

9. Why do the ephors object to the plans of Leonidas when he comes to visit them?

10. What kinds of weapons are the soldiers carrying as they march to battle at the start of this novel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The terrain itself in the story seems to be a character in and of itself. From the narrow ledges to the creative names, it too seems to have a place in the story.

Part 1: Which part of the terrain do you think was most important to the story? Why?

Part 2: What do the names of the lands seem to say about the land as a whole or about the battle taking place?

Part 3: If the land were to be more generic, how might this have affected the story as a whole?

Essay Topic 2

Dilios likes to tells stories in this book, helping to inspire the soldiers and to teach them about their own powers, it seems.

Part 1: Why is the character of Dilios important to the story? What does he provide?

Part 2: If the character of Dilios were not included in this story, what might be different in the story?

Part 3: Who might be seen as a modern day Dilios character in the world or in another book? Why did you choose this person?

Essay Topic 3

Leonidas goes through a sort of rite of passage by killing a huge wolf at the beginning of the timeline of this story.

Part 1: Describe the story of Leonidas and the wolf. What happens?

Part 2: What does the wolf symbolize in the story of Leonidas and the wolf?

Part 3: What might have happened had Leonidas never encountered the wolf as described in this story?

(see the answer keys)

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