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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 about the strange man captures Birle once he awakens in the morning?

2. What does the Lord finally reveal to Birle as they are talking during the period of being stranded?

3. About whom do Birle and Orien tell stories, all with different plots?

4. What happened to the one woman that Orien loved?

5. What does Birle suggest so that she does not have to part from the Lord?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what ways does Birle demonstrate her independence and usefulness to the reader and Orien in Chapter 3?

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

3. What are the "treasures" Birle's grandparents bestow upon her and why are they so important?

4. Name a few differences in lifestyle between Birle and Orien that they mention.

5. Joaquim and Corbel are brothers, yet they are vastly different. Briefly describe their differences and mention why Corbel keeps Joaquim around.

6. Why does Birle keep trying to prolong the time she spends with the Lord, and how does she do this in the beginning of Chapter 5?

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

8. Chapter 2 discusses a brief family background of Birle's. Who is Granda, Gran, Lyss, Da, and Nan and how are they related to Birle?

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

10. What are some speculations Birle makes about why the Lord is running away from home?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Joaquim, Birle's master in the city, is an interesting character. Analyze and discuss his character. Be sure to mention the differences between him and his brother, his interests, his traits, and his loyalty for Birle and Yul. Use examples from the book to support your statements.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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