Combined Sandstorm and Arthur's Sword Quiz

Once there was a great king in Britain named Uther,

and when he died the other kings and princes disputed

over the kingdom, each wanting it for himself. . . .

What happened after Uther died?

• Uther's son became the new king.
• The kingdom was divided among the other kings and princes.
• The other kings and princes disputed over the kingdom.
• The kingdom was left without a ruler.

When the kings and princes could not be kept in check

any longer, and something had to be done to determine

who was to be king, Merlin made the Archbishop of

Canterbury send for all of them to come to London. It was

Christmas time, and in the great cathedral a solemn service

was held, and prayer was made that some sign should be

given to show who was the rightful king. When the service

was over, there appeared a strange stone in the churchyard,

against the high altar. It was a great white stone, like

marble, with something sunk in it that looked like a steel

anvil; and in the anvil was driven a great glistening sword.

The sword had letters of gold written on it, which read:

“Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil is

rightwise king born of all England.” . . .

What is this paragraph mostly about?

• The story of how the rightful king of England was determined
• The significance of the Christmas service in London
• The history of the Archbishop of Canterbury
• The discovery of a mysterious stone in the churchyard

Many of the knights tried to pull the sword from the

stone, hoping to be king. But no one could move it a hair’s

breadth. . . .

What can you infer about why the knights could not pull the sword from the stone?

• The sword was enchanted to be unmovable.
• The knights were not strong enough.
• The sword was too heavy.
• The knights were not worthy (according to the legend).

Then they set a guard of ten knights

to keep the stone, and the archbishop

appointed a day when all should come

together to try at the stone—kings from

far and near. In the meantime, splendid

jousts were held outside London, and

both knights and commons were bidden.

Who guarded the stone?

• ten knights
• two knights
• twenty knights
• five knights

Sir Ector came up to the jousts, with others, and with him rode

Kay and Arthur. Kay had been made a knight at Allhallowmas, and

when he found there was to be so fine a joust he wanted a sword to

join it. But he had left his sword behind where his father and he had

slept the night before. So he asked young Arthur to ride for it.

What was Arthur asked to do?

• ride for Kay's sword
• buy a new sword for Kay
• fetch Kay's sword
• borrow a sword from someone else

Arthur said to himself, “My brother Sir Kay shall not be without

a sword this day.” And he remembered the sword he had seen in the

churchyard. “I will ride to the churchyard,” he said, “and take that

sword with me.” So he rode into the churchyard, tied his horse to the

stile, and went up to the stone. The guards were away to the tourney,

and the sword was there, alone.

From where did Arthur get Sir Kay a new sword?

• armory
• churchyard
• castle
• forest

What was the significance of Arthur pulling the sword from the stone?

• It granted him magical powers.
• It made him the wealthiest man in England.
• It proved he was the rightful king of England.
• It allowed him to marry the queen of England.

Sir Kay knew instantly that it was the sword of the stone, and

he rode off at once to his father and said, “Sir, lo, here is the sword

of the stone; I must be king of the land.” But Sir Ector asked him

where he got the sword. And when Sir Kay said, “From my brother,”

he asked Arthur how he got it. When Arthur told him, Sir Ector

bowed his head before him. “Now I understand ye must be king of

this land,” he said to Arthur.

How did Arthur become king?

• He was appointed by his father.
• He pulled the sword from the stone.
• He found the sword in a treasure chest.
• He won a battle against Sir Kay.

“For God will have it so,” said Ector. “Never man should have

drawn out this sword but he that shall be rightwise king of this land.

Now let me see whether ye can put the sword as it was in the stone,

and pull it out again.”

What was Arthur required to do to prove that he was the rightful king?

• Put the sword as it was in the stone and pull it out again.
• Recite a sacred incantation
• Prove his bravery in battle
• Put the sword in the stone and leave it there

The storm slammed into our two-passenger sand crawler, the howling

wind buffeting us so viciously we nearly tipped over. I clutched my safety

harness like a life raft and watched Bindor’s dad at the controls. Centini

expressions are hard to read, and the enviro-suit didn’t help, but Mr. Dama

looked calm.

What can you infer the Centini are?

• a type of plant or vegetation
• a type of vehicle or transportation
• a type of species or group of individuals
• a type of weather phenomenon