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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 Margaret eventually realize after baby James dies about how James treats her in regard to his political affairs?

2. Who is angry at James for staying at Lady Heron's for too long?

3. Where does Margaret await the formal invitation from Henry to come to his court?

4. What prevents Margaret from moving more quickly with Angus?

5. Where does Margaret have her first marriage ceremony to James?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does James finally agree to marry Margaret?

2. How does Henry respond to Margaret's letter requesting that he not invade Scotland shortly after James dies in battle?

3. What does Lord Drummond request of Angus in regard to his love life?

4. What is unique about Margaret's marriage to James in England?

5. In "The Curse of Sauchieburn," why does Margaret try to intervene with James when several Scottish men are arrested in England?

6. Who is Margaret and James's child Arthur named after?

7. Why does Albany agree to go to Scotland when the King of France requests it?

8. Why is Margaret secretly pleased after her first-born son dies?

9. Who is Margaret at Stobhall?

10. What does Margaret's title of "Regent" mean?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss how childbirth is portrayed in "The Thistle and the Rose." Is it conveyed as a positive experience for the women and men? How does it change the reader's opinion of women who have given birth, particularly those who have gone through difficult births or even died in childbirth? What literary devices does Plaidy use to convey the experience of childbirth to a modern reader reading about childbirth during this time in history?

Essay Topic 2

Several of Margaret's children die in the novel. Discuss the effect this has on the reader, how these deaths have an influence on the sequence of events, and how these deaths influence Margaret as both a person and a ruler.

Essay Topic 3

Religion plays an important, if behind-the-scenes, role in "The Thistle and the Rose." Discuss the role religion plays in the text and how Plaidy conveys it throughout the novel.

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