Winning His Spurs 8

Study Guide Questions for Ch. 15-16

If you are looking for the beginning of the study for G. A. Henty’s Winning His Spurs 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, Recklessness, Being a Guide, Appearance vs. Reality

Grammar Questions: (The Information of the Text)

1. Whom did Cuthbert meet while recovering his strength in the caves?

2. What tragic story did the old hermit relate to Cuthbert?

3. Prior to becoming a hermit, how had the man tried to demonstrate the sincerity of his repentance?

4. What advice did the hermit give Cuthbert based upon his past mistakes?

5. How did the hermit help Cuthbert make his way back towards the Christian host?

6. What confused the Christian knights about what they saw as Cuthbert rode towards their camp?

7. What had Richard done which made an enemy of the Archduke of Austria?

8. What circumstances concerning Conrad of Montferat brought Richard further trouble?

9. According to the Earl of Evesham, what had ultimately caused the crusade to fail?

10. How did King Richard perform at the siege of Jaffa?

11. What was the Earl of Evesham’s dying wish?

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

1. Why might the hermit have been sleeping on a bed of stones rather than soft straw like Cuthbert?

2. Which vice would you say primarily marked the life of the hermit in his youth? Refer to the text to support your claim.

3. What should be inferred from the fact that the Christian communities had to live in remote areas and worship in secret?

4. What did the Earl of Evesham mean by saying, “Had King Richard been a lesser man than he is, we might have conquered Jerusalem?”

5. Why would Saracen women use King Richard’s name to threaten their children?

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

1. Would you argue that the hermit is now practicing a life of virtue whereas he had previously practiced a life of vice? Why or why not?

2. The hermit devoted his life to demonstrating his repentance for his former sins. How much repentance is enough? What does it look like to be sufficiently repentant of a particular sin? Explain your answer carefully.

3. In the story one of the Christians who helped Cuthbert was described as having blended in to the appearance and usages of the “Mussulmen” so that no one suspected him of being a Christian. To what extent do you think it is permissible for Christians to adopt the mode of dress and outward appearance of an anti-Christian culture for the sake of their safety? Explain your thinking carefully.

Theological Analysis: (Sola Scriptura)

1. If you were to make a comparison between the hermit (Father Anselm) and a figure in biblical history, whom would it be and why?

2. Read Genesis 24. What connections can we make between this passage of Scripture and our current reading? Particularly, what comparisons might be made between the Earl of Evesham and Abraham?