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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 do the commoners do on the night of the Duchess's party?

2. How does Michael meet with Lord Horn, after Michael leaves his lover's house?

3. What is the party the Duchess invites Basil and Mary to in honor of?

4. What is the value of the present Richard brings Alec?

5. What entertainment does the Duchess have at her party?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Michael respond to Applethorpe asking him to put more effort into his swordsman training?

2. How does Richard reply to Lord Horn's letter?

3. Why is the idea of becoming a swordsman a joke for Michael?

4. Who do Richard and Alec meet as they watch the party, and what does this person tell Richard?

5. Why doesn't it matter what Michael is wearing at the Duchess's party?

6. Describe the job that Richard is approached with in Chapter 8.

7. What do the houses in Old Market look like?

8. Who does Richard tell Ginnie to thank, and why?

9. What is the most common assumption about who hired St. Vier for the fight?

10. What does Ginnie Vandall think of Richard's performance in the sword fight?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the novel's point of view.

1) Why does the novel move between different characters' points of view? What different perspectives does it give the reader?

2) What are the primary characters whose points of view are shown in the novel? Find a character who never takes the narrative point of view. Why is this character excluded?

3) How much does the reader's perspective change as the point of view switches between different characters or areas of the society?

Essay Topic 2

Richard, as a swordsman, has a violent and even bloodthirsty role in the novel. Discuss violence and death in the novel.

1) How does the society look at death? How seriously does the society take death and violence?

2) What power does Richard's ability to inflict death give him? What other characters gain power through death and violence?

3) How is violence viewed differently by the different social classes in the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Swordsmanship is central to the novel. Discuss sword fighting in the novel.

1) What changes about Michael after he studies sword fighting? What causes him to change?

2) What does sword fighting require? Is it a laudable occupation? What drives Richard to be a swordsman?

3) Basil believes hiring swordsmen is barbaric. Explain his point of view. Why does he think it is barbaric? How true is his depiction?

(see the answer keys)

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