View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where do Taita and Lostris go when they want to talk privately?

2. When Tanus disappeared, to whom did he hand over his squadron and Pharaoh's seal?

3. To what army regiment does Tanus belong?

4. Why did Tanus name his bow Lanata?

5. Why does Taita conduct Pharaoh's tours of his treasuries?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Taita angered when he sees Lord Intef in Thebes? What does this reveal to the reader about Taita's character?

2. What are Taita's first descriptions of Lostris? How are his emotions different from what the reader might expect of a eunuch? How does it help explain his character?

3. What will be the crowning moment of Pharaoh's life? What is Taita's reaction to this moment and how does the reaction seem contrary to Egyptian thought?

4. In the days leading up to Lostris's wedding, Taita is not allowed to go near her. Even during the wedding ceremony, he stands at the back of the crowd and cannot see much. What is the literary significance of Taita's inability to see Lostris? How does this relate to Smith's silence about Tanus's reaction?

5. What does Taita learn from his friend Tiamat about the Shrikes? How does this explain the destitution of Egypt and the weakness of Pharaoh?

6. How does Taita describe the hippo hunt? How does he see the animal in relation to divinity? What is the effect of the hippo hunt on Taita?

7. After Taita is whipped because he dares to petition for Lostris and Tanus's marriage, Lostris cares for his wounds. How does she reveal that she is still a child? What hope does the reader have that her marriage to Tanus will occur?

8. What power does Pharaoh's seal have? Why must a man acknowledge it, as Tanus does when Neter comes to arrest him? Is this seal a sign of power or of weakness?

9. How does Lostris interact with Pharaoh during their first three months of marriage? Though Smith does not say this is so many words, how does Pharaoh reveal his true character during this time?

10. Describe the murder of Tod onstage during the festival pageant. What does Taita reveal about humanity, as he perceives it, during this scene?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the question of slavery in Taita's mind? Despite his position in life, why does he justify it? How does his opinion fit with ancient Egyptian culture? Reference pages 118 and 432, among others, for Taita's words.

Essay Topic 2

When Taita dreams to explain Lostris's second and third pregnancies, the lords believe him. Is there belief rooted in superstition or religion? How is their belief affected by their conviction in the gods?

Essay Topic 3

What value of the story comes in its historical background? Does the story become any richer or more plausible because of the history? How might you read the novel if you knew it was completely fictional?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,961 words (approx. 7 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample