3
Grey A
Name: Test 3
Class: Date:
The Green Knight
It was winter at Camelot, and the feast was in full swing.
“Sir Gawain!” King Arthur called to his youngest knight. “Are you
enjoying …” He was interrupted
by a thunderous knocking at the
thick oak doors of the hall.
The knights fell silent as the
doors swung open and revealed
the shadowy form of a huge
horse and rider.
1 Why did King Arthur stop talking in the middle of asking a question?
1
2 How is King Arthur most likely to have finished his question to
Sir Gawain? Tick one box.
the story so far?
feasting with the other knights?
the peace and quiet?
1
your pizza?
3 Find and copy one word or phrase about the visitor that makes
him seem threatening.
1
“Enter!” the king shouted.
The knights gasped at what they saw. The rider was a giant.
His hair hung down to his waist in great locks. His eyes shimmered.
His face and arms were not the colour of human skin but the deep
green of the wild wood. In one of his huge hands he carried a
gigantic axe, its blade the size of a shield. The green rider looked
down from his horse and straight at King Arthur.
“Is this Camelot?” he asked, his deep voice booming around the hall.
The king nodded. “Pray, who are you?”
“That matters not,” said the rider. “I have come because they say
the knights of Camelot are the bravest in the land.”
“It is true,” Arthur replied.
The rider breathed a deep sigh. “Would anyone care to prove it?”
Eager to prove himself worthy as a knight of Camelot, Gawain
leaped up from his seat and drew his sword. “I will prove it, giant!”
“Very well,” the giant replied,
getting down from his huge
horse with a thud. He strode
across the hall towards
Gawain, his axe
arm outstretched.
“Take the axe!”
the giant commanded.
Swallowing nervously,
Gawain did so.
“My challenge to you is this,” said the giant. “You must head to the
abandoned castle in the forest. There you will find the lair of the
dragon that has been destroying villages across the land.
You must defeat him. If you succeed in slaying the dragon, I will
vow to help you defend Camelot for all time. Do you accept, young
knight?”
Gawain nodded. He swung the giant axe with determination, and
vowed to return with the dragon’s head on a stake. “I will save
Camelot – and then I will return to find out who you really are,
giant!” With that, he stormed out of the castle and into the fog.
2
4 Tick true or false in the following table to show what you know
about the visitor.
True False
He had long hair.
His skin was pale green.
He carried an axe.
He carried a shield. 2
He was a knight of Camelot.
5 ...his deep voice booming around the hall.
Which of these words is closest in meaning to ‘booming’ in this
sentence? Tick one box.
raining listening
roaring shining
1
6 Why do you think Sir Gawain drew his sword when he leaped up
from his seat?
1
7 Do you think Sir Gawain was brave when he faced the giant?
Explain your answer, using ideas from the text to support it.
8 What reason did the giant give for why the dragon deserves to be
killed?
3
9 Look back over the story so far. What have we learned about Sir
Gawain? Find three pieces of evidence.
10 Look at the final paragraph. Find and copy one word or phrase the
writer uses to show how Sir Gawain is feeling.
1
11 Look at the whole story. Number the sentences below from 1 to 4 to
show the order in which they happened.
The giant talked to King Arthur.
The giant got down from his horse.
The knights fell silent.
1
The giant explained his challenge.
12 Do you think Sir Gawain will be successful in his task? Explain your
answer, using ideas from the text to support it.
For teacher use
Your mark out of 15
What went well
How to improve
