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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 Orien do to mark their presence where he and Birle are stranded?

2. The man who rescues Orien and Birle trades what for their rescue?

3. What does Birle confess to having done back at the Inn?

4. Where on the ship is Orien moved to near the beginning of Chapter 11?

5. Soon after they begin walking, what do Birle and the Lord find?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Corbel's initial appearance and his character.

2. What do Ker and Torson say when Orien tells them of his heritage, and where he and Birle are from?

3. Briefly describe the discussion about Doubt that the Lord and Birle have.

4. What new information do we find out about Birle's family and life in Chapter 7?

5. Up until Chapter 6, Birle has more or less played the man's role in catching fish, rowing the boat, and even saving the Lord by slitting a dog's throat. But in this chapter, how does the Lord finally portray traits that are deemed "manly" by society?

6. How could the initial encounter between Birle and the thief be described?

7. In the beginning of Chapter 2, the mysterious man is asleep while Birle lies awake, yet she is unafraid. What makes her not fear this man?

8. For a young girl and an Innkeeper's daughter, Birle displays a very independent nature. Give a few examples of how she displays this in Chapter 1.

9. Within Chapter 1, Birle observes the mysterious figure and has a brief encounter with him. What clues lead her to the conclusion that he is a city-man, what options does she rule out, and why?

10. What leads Birle to suspect that perhaps the Lord might have committed a wrongdoing against another Lord?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

From start to finish, Birle has a very independent nature. As the heroine of the novel, is her independence refreshing? Is it appropriate for the time period the novel is set in? How is she independent and what does her independence say about her character? How has this trait helped her or impeded her? How did she develop her independence and has it driven her to make the write or wrong choices? Give several examples from the novel to support your claims.

Essay Topic 2

Yul is an interesting character who is present for a large portion of the novel. He has a special connection with Birle. Analyze and discuss this connection that they share. How did it start? Could Birle have this kind of connection with anyone else? What do these two go through together? What eventually leads them to separate? Does this mean that their connection is also severed?

Essay Topic 3

We meet Gladaegal as we near the end of the novel. Compare and contrast Gladaegal and Orien. How is their relationship with one another? Who might make a better Earl, and why?

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