The Eagle of the Ninth 13

Study Guide Questions for Ch. 13 “The Lost Legion”

If you are looking for the beginning of the study for The Eagle of the Ninth 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)

Hospitality, Family, Despotism, Revenge, Superstition, Ignorance, Religion, Pride, Perseverance, Friendship 

Grammar Questions: (The Information of the Text)

1. Describe Guern’s family. How many family members does he have and what are they like?

2. What indications did Marcus take notice of which suggested to him that Guern’s family was not poor?

3. What did Guern decide to do which engrossed the attention of his children?

4. What did Marcus see which removed all doubt from his mind that Guern had been a Roman soldier?

5. How did Guern react at first to Marcus asking him about how he had become the man he now was when he had previously served as a soldier in the Eagles?

6. What had caused the Eagles to become “cursed” (at least in the minds of many)?

7. What did “more than half” of the Eagles of the Ninth Legion do because of the foolish leadership of the Legate?

8. How did Guern escape the fate of death which many of his comrades suffered?

9. How did the true story about the Ninth Legion affect Marcus?

10. What did Marcus intend to do now that he had more information about the fate of the Eagle?

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

1. Why might Guern live as an “outlander” despite being powerful and respected by his tribe?

2. Inductive reasoning involves reasoning from known information to a probable conclusion. How does this chapter (and the last) demonstrate Marcus using inductive reasoning?

3. Why did Guern think he had seen Marcus somewhere before?

4. Why did Guern think the Ninth Legion “might have been saved” if had been relocated away from the region?

5. Guern described the Legate of the Ninth Legion as “a hard and upright man without understanding” and he said that this made him “the worst man to handle such a legion”. What did he mean by this? Why was this combination of qualities particularly bad for the Ninth?

6. Why would a “legate who was also a soldier” have been more likely to have saved the Ninth Legion from its fate?

7. What is meant by the statement that Marcus was “suddenly older than he had been a few hours ago”?

8. Why did Guern feel “ashamed” about letting Marcus and Esca “go north on this trail alone”?

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

1. Guern said, “a woman who thinks herself wronged is seldom over-particular where her thrust lands, so that it draws blood.” Is it fair to characterize women this way or not? Are women more prone to lash out emotionally when they are hurt than are men? Explain why you think what you do.

2. What do you think of the concept of decimation? Do you think it would be an effective means of disciplining an army? Why or why not? Does something being effective mean that it is right? Explain your answer. 

Theological Analysis: (Sola Scriptura)

1. Read Matthew 10:5-15. How might we thematically connect what Jesus says about “lost sheep” and “worthy houses” to our story in this chapter?