Name: _____________________________________________________________________ Period: ________

Day 2
Directions:
1. Read the passage.
2. Here’s the link for a connected video you can watch if you have the ability to do so:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFp51h78p2I. You do not have to watch this.
3. Answer the questions.
4. Check your answers against the answer key at the end.
The Legend of King Arthur
The Arthurian legend developed over many centuries, with the result that plot lines, characters and their
motives, and incidents can all vary quite considerably from one telling to the next. However, it is useful, for this
course, to have at least a general sense of some of the main players and incidents. The following is a brief synopsis of
the legend.
Uther Pendragon, king of Britain, falls in love with Igraine, wife of Gorlois, Duke of
Cornwall. He goes to war with Gorlois. Gorlois puts his wife in the castle of Tintagel to protect
her. Uther, desperate to meet with Igraine, makes a deal with Merlin. Merlin will help Uther enter
the castle, but only if Uther will give Merlin his firstborn son. Uther agrees and uses the arts of
Merlin the magician to enter the castle undetected. He enters Tintagel, where he and Igraine fall in
love. When Gorlois is killed by Uther’s army, Uther then marries Igraine, and the two have a child,
who they name Arthur.
As he promised Merlin in exchange for his help, Uther delivers the baby Arthur to the
magician. Merlin gives the baby to Sir Ector, who raises Arthur along with his own son Kay.
When Uther dies, rival kings war over the throne. Merlin has everyone gather in London at
Christmas, and a sword, stuck through an anvil and into a stone, appears in a churchyard. The
sword’s hilt says that whoever draws it from the stone is the rightful king.
Arthur, now a teenager, comes to London with Ector and Kay. Kay is newly knighted, and
has come to participate in the tournament. When he realizes that he has left Kay’s sword at the inn,
Arthur rushes off to search for another one. Seeing the sword in the stone, he draws it and gives it
to Kay. Kay shows the sword to his father, who recognizes what it means. He reveals to Arthur
that he is not his true father.
Arthur repeatedly draws the sword from the stone when others cannot, so the people
acclaim him their king. Some rival kings resist, however, and Arthur must defeat them before he is
secure in his kingdom. He receives his sword Excalibur from the lake.
Arthur then decides to marry. He chooses Guenevere, daughter of King Leodegrance.
Merlin warns Arthur that Guenevere will fall in love with Lancelot, but Arthur chooses to marry

High Ability English 7 Day 2

Name: _____________________________________________________________________ Period: ________

her anyway. Merlin leaves the story not long afterwards, as he falls prey to a young enchantress who
imprisons him forever under a rock.
Knights come from all over to join Arthur and his company of the Round Table. Many
adventures for Arthur and his court follow. Arthur resists the claims of Lucius, Emperor of Rome,
for tribute, and defeats the Romans in Europe before coming home; in some versions of the story,
this is his final triumph, before Mordred usurps the throne. In other versions of the story, there is
still a lot that happens before the final battle: knights such as Lancelot, Gawain, Tristan, and
Gareth, among many others, have many adventures.

The Legend of King Arthur

Exit Ticket

_______ 1. According to the text, why was Arthur able to pull the sword from the stone?

A. Arthur was able to pull the sword from the stone because of his superhuman strength.
B. Arthur was able to pull the sword from the stone because he is the rightful king.
C. Arthur was able to pull the sword from the stone because he had help from Merlin.
D. Arthur was able to pull the sword from the stone because he had experienced true love.

_______ 2. Which of the following sentences from the text best supports the answer to the previous question?

A. Arthur repeatedly draws the sword from the stone when others cannot, so the people acclaim him their king.
B. When Gorlois is killed by Uther’s army, Uther then marries Igraine, and the two have a child, who
they name Arthur.
C. The sword’s hilt says that whoever draws it from the stone is the rightful king.
D. Arthur then decides to marry. He chooses Guenevere, daughter of King Leodegrance.

3. Match the following causes to the effects.

_____ Uther promises to give Merlin his firstborn. A. Sir Ector reveals he is not Arthur’s father.
_____ Arthur draws the sword from the stone. B. Uther goes to war with Igraine.
_____ Kay shows the sword to his father. C. Merlin gives Arthur to Sir Ector.
_____ Uther falls in love with Igraine. D. Arthur is acclaimed the king.

4. The King Arthur legends have gone through hundreds of adaptations throughout history and influenced the
course of literature. Choose one possible theme from the passage. Explain this theme. Why might this theme be
universal?

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High Ability English 7 Day 2

Name: _____________________________________________________________________ Period: ________

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5. Arthurian legend has had a profound influence on Gothic literature. What connections can you draw between
Arthurian legend and the Gothic literature we have read so far. What does this tell you about the human
experience? About the way that people view the world?

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1. B and D
2. C.
3. C, D, A, B
4. Various possible
5. Various possible

High Ability English 7 Day 2