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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 object does the girl try to keep Lancelot from seeing?

2. What does Sir Gawain find upon following Kay?

3. Who does Yvain save the lion from?

4. Who tells the story of finding an ugly peasant and a knight appearing after a storm?

5. What does the lion vow to do?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the story behind the storm stone in The Knight with the Lion?

2. What is the irony of King Bademagu keeping the Queen safely confined in The Knight of the Cart?

3. Why does Yvain go in search of the spring?

4. What indicates Yvain's fame?

5. What agreement do Yvain and Laudine come to when Yvain is told of King Arthur's tournament?

6. What does Lancelot's ability to lift the stone slab in the church's cemetery in The Knight of the Cart foreshadow?

7. How does Lancelot attempt to regain his pride from his shameful cart ride in The Knight of the Cart?

8. How is Lunete's identity foreshadowed when Yvain comes across her as a prisoner?

9. Why does Lunete offer to help Yvain escape when he is trapped?

10. What are a few examples of Lancelot's demonstrating his love for the Queen in The Knight of the Cart?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The first story in the Arthurian Romances is Erec and Enide. Choose one of the following topics to discuss in regards to the tale. Be sure to use specific examples from the text and use additional outside research where necessary to completely answer the questions.

a) Can Erec and Enide be considered a love story? Why or why not? What sets it apart from other tales of love written in literature?

b) Erec and Enide is said to closely parallel the Welsh story "Mabinogian: Gereint Son of Erbin." Research this tale and compare and contrast it to Erec and Enide. Which was written first? What message does each story deliver? If it's the same message, which does it more effectively?

c) Discuss Erec as the main character and his relationships with others. What do these relationships tell us about him, and what is his personality like? Does he remain the same throughout or does he change? How do you know?

Essay Topic 2

There are several recurring minor characters in the Arthurian Romances. Discuss the use of these characters and who they are. Which stories do they appear in, and what role do they play in each story? Are they always the same or are they different? What can you tell about the characters after seeing them appear various times? Use specific examples to support your claims.

Essay Topic 3

All of the Arthurian Romances are told by a narrator. What sort of narrator is he? What kind of view (omniscient, limited, first person) does he have? What sort of voice does he have? Why is the narrator's voice so important to the telling of the tales? Is this narrator effective in doing his job? Who might the narrator be? Use specific examples to support your claims.

(see the answer keys)

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