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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. Why is Jack happy about living in Kingsbridge despite Alfred's abuse?

2. Who does Philip talk to at Kingsbridge instead of the bishop?

3. What is the secret compromise that Philip proposes to the Hamleighs about the forests and quarry in Shiring?

4. Why does Philip go to see the Bishop of Kingsbridge after talking to his brother, Francis?

5. What does the thief steal from Tom's family?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the favorite pastime of the young boys who gather early in the marketplace?

2. What is the vow that Aliena's father asks her to make when she and Richard visit him in prison?

3. Of what is the crime that the condemned man has been found guilty?

4. Who is riding behind the oxcart that brings the condemned man to the gallows?

5. What is Tom Builder's greatest passion in life?

6. Summarize the location and outcome of the birth of Tom's third child.

7. How do Aliena and Richard escape from the castle?

8. Describe the business that Aliena begins when she gets the money her father left for her and Richard with a priest in Winchester?

9. How does Tom first meet Ellen and her son, Jack?

10. When the condemned man dies, what is the reaction of the young pregnant girl to whom he was singing?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

1) Analyze Jack's coming of age throughout the novel.

2) What fears and emotions does he experience as he grows from childhood to adulthood?

3) How does his outlook on life, education, and love change as he develops from a boy into a man?

4) Cite examples of Jack's character changes throughout his life.

Essay Topic 2

1) Interpret the feelings Aliena and Jack have for each other when they begin their relationship.

2) Are their emotions authentic? Are they truthful with each other?

3) Compare these emotions with how they interact later in the novel, after they become parents of two children.

4) What regrets do they have as their relationship progresses through the novel?

5) How does their relationship differ from the first part of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

1) Summarize the survival skills Ellen and Jack develop while living in the forest.

2) Include their methods of finding shelter, storing food, and hunting.

3) How do they protect themselves from bandits and wild animals?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 753 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample