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49 pages 1 hour read

John Flanagan

The Ruins of Gorlan

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2004

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Essay Topics

1.

Why does Will want to become a knight? What stands in his way?

2.

What Baron Arald and Halt’s test for Will, why do the two men set it up, and why is Will’s capture a good thing for the boy?

3.

What is Halt’s purpose in imposing housework tasks on his apprentice? What do the tasks show or teach Will?

4.

Give two reasons why Ranger training is done better in the forest than out in the open. Provide examples from the text to support your argument.

5.

Why does Horace submit to the three bullying cadets? Describe what causes him finally to stand up to them. How does this show Horace’s increasing maturity?

6.

Will’s curiosity is a sign of what strength and what weakness? How can that weakness cause a Ranger to make lethal mistakes? How can that strength prepare a Ranger to execute their duties?

7.

Why do Rangers prefer small weapons and small horses to the large arms and steeds of the knights? Explain using examples from the novel.

8.

List two reasons why Will thinks the Kalkara aren’t hunting the king but are trying instead to trap Halt. How does Halt recognize that he’s being hunted, and what does he do about it?

9.

What are the great strengths of the Kalkara? How does Halt find a way around those strengths, and how does Will use their chief weakness to kill one?

10.

Will decides to stay with Ranger training, but he worries he’s made the wrong decision. Why does he fret? What does Halt tell him that changes his mind, and why does it have that effect?

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