The Dragon and The Raven 7

Study Guide Questions for Ch. 7 “The Dragon”

If you are looking for the beginning of the study for G. A. Henty’s The Dragon and The Raven then you can go HERE for a brief introduction. At the bottom of the introduction you will find the links to each section of the study guide as it becomes available. If you would like to see the growing list of book studies available for free on this site you can go HERE. Enjoy!

Virtues/Vices/Great Ideas: (Find them in the Text)

Prudence, Ignorance, Betrayal, Joy, Recklessness, Vengeance, Mercy

Grammar Questions: (The Information of the Text)

1. What did King Alfred do which caused some of his men to object?

2. What did Ceolwulf do with the power he was given by the Danes?

3. What was necessary for the lower deck of oars on The Dragon to be usable?

4. What did Edmund’s men find on board the Danish galley ships they captured?

5. How did the Saxons defeat the first two Danish galleys in their second battle?

6. How did the Danes finally get close enough to the Dragon to attempt to board?

7. How did the Dragon manage to get away from the Danes when they were “hardly pressed” due to fighting them “four to one”?

8. According to the text, what made it easy for Edmund to fill his “vacancies caused in the fight”?

9. What did Edmund do “whenever the Danes surrendered without resistance”?

10. Where did Edmund take his men to weather out the storm and who built this shelter?

Logic Questions: (Interpreting, Comparing/Contrasting, Reasoning)

1. Why did some of the Saxons remonstrate with King Alfred about his merciful terms with the Danes?

2. What should be inferred about the Danes since they broke their oaths made to Alfred?

3. Why did Alfred go into hiding rather than keep fighting? Recall what Alfred said in chapter 3 when he offered his critique of Algar and the other Saxon Thanes who died at Kesteven.

4. During the second battle, why did the rowers wait to row hard until they were “within a hundred yards” of the Danish ships?

5. Why was The Dragon so effective against the Danish galleys? What factors made it the superior vessel?

Rhetoric Questions: (The Analysis of Ideas in the Text)

1. Alfred shows mercy to the Danes just to have them break their oaths and attack the Saxons again shortly thereafter. Edmund shows mercy to the Danes who offer no resistance to his crew when they capture their galleys. Define the concept of mercy. When should someone show mercy? Was it prudent for Alfred and Edmund to be merciful? Why or why not?

2. Is it ever imprudent to show someone mercy? If so, under what circumstances? If not, why not?

Theological Analysis: (Sola Scriptura)

1. Read Luke 6:27-37 and Romans 12:17-21. What do these verses have in common and how should they be related to our story?