Q 01/05

What does John Aycliffe declare Crispin to be when he offers a reward for the boy's death?

A) A masterless man

B) A wolf's head

C) A sworn heretic

D) A king's traitor

Answer · why

B) A wolf's head

A wolf's head was a real label in medieval English law for an outlaw, who could be killed by anyone without penalty, like the hated animal itself.

Q 02/05

Which top American children's book award did Avi win in 2003 for Crispin: The Cross of Lead?

A) Newbery Medal

B) Caldecott Medal

C) Printz Award

D) Carnegie Medal

Answer · why

A) Newbery Medal

The Newbery Medal came for Avi's fiftieth book, after two of his earlier novels had finished as runners-up for the same prize in 1991 and 1992.

Q 03/05

Before he learns the name Crispin, what do villagers call the young hero of Avi's novel?

A) Maud's son

B) Joan's son

C) Asta's son

D) Agnes's son

Answer · why

C) Asta's son

Asta's son is all anyone has ever called him, because he and his mother live as outcasts and he has no father to take a name from.

Q 04/05

Which disaster had emptied the deserted village where Crispin first meets the juggler Bear?

A) The Great Famine

B) The Anarchy

C) The Barons' War

D) The Black Death

Answer · why

D) The Black Death

The Black Death reached England in 1348, about three decades before the story, though that name for the plague was not used until centuries later.

Q 05/05

What does the juggler Bear force Crispin to become when they first meet in a deserted village?

A) His squire

B) His servant

C) His prisoner

D) His adopted son

Answer · why

B) His servant

His servant is what Bear makes the runaway swear to be, relying on a law that let a free man claim anyone who had fled a master.