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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. Who ultimately helps Louhi do what she wants done?

2. What does the Storyteller tell us in the first stanzas?

3. What does Lemminkainen do to press his suit?

4. What does Ilmarinen ride off on, after he finds out where Vainamoinen is going?

5. Who comes to the shore to see who has arrived there?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens when Lemminkainen happens upon the home of Louhi on his way to Pohja?

2. How does Marjetta lose and then find her baby?

3. What tasks does the Maid of Pohja demand of Vainamoinen when he proposes to her?

4. What happens when Joukahainen finally spots Vainamoinen crossing the ocean?

5. What reputation does Vainamoinen acquire over time?

6. Describe Lemminkainen's courtship of Kyllikki.

7. How does Louhi get revenge for the loss of the Sampo?

8. How does Kullervo end up being sold to Ilmarinen?

9. What do Marjetta's parents do when Marjetta gets pregnant?

10. What happens to the chips that come from cutting down the mighty oak?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

On more than one occasion, a woman is unfaithful to the man she is with or married to. What role does infidelity play in the Kalevala? Is there an expectation of fidelity in marriage? Is there a different expectation? When characters marry in the Kalevala, is their marriage the same as an ordinary marriage, or are the Kalevala marriages different?

Essay Topic 2

Is there evidence of authorial inconsistency? Do the tales seem to flow as one overarching narrative, or are they a collection of different and contradictory stories? Do different stories teach different morals?

Essay Topic 3

There are a number of animals and monsters in the Kalevala. Are they all of the same class, or are there different kinds of beasts? Citing three examples from the text, describe the nature and use of beasts and monsters in the Kalevala.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 767 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample