Stories of kings and queens have captivated readers for centuries, and arguably, the tales of king arthur and guinevere are among the most enchanting. arthur ruled the kingdom of camelot, and guinevere was his queen. but were they real people or fictional characters? the debate has continued for centuries. though many scholars have found evidence that the legendary arthur was, at the very least, based on a real person who lived in britain roughly between 450 and 1[marker for question ] 500 ce. they continue to search for the historical identity of guinevere.
guinevere first appeared as king arthur’s queen in one of the most widely-studied works of arthurian literature, 2[marker for question ] the history of the kings of britain. this book was written by geoffrey of monmouth around 1135 ce. geoffrey’s historical treatment of the legend is often 3[marker for question ] sited as evidence that the queen of camelot existed, as the book chronicles the lives of a number of historical rulers. guinevere is identified by geoffrey as a noblewoman of roman descent who met king arthur in the court of duke cador of cornwall, where she lived as a ward. in this version, guinevere possesses little if any agency of her own. 4[marker for question ] in this second version, guinevere is an active participant in court politics; her partnership with arthur is characterized by mutual respect, and he accepts her advice on important issues.
as many arthurian scholars know, the distinction between history and literature was blurred in the middle ages. consequently, the true identity of guinevere may never be known with certainty. yet regardless of whether guinevere was real or fictional, her story 5[marker for question ] had endured for centuries—and through each retelling, she continues to live on in the imaginations of people around the world.

question 1 of 10
choose 1
(choice a, checked)
a
no change
(choice b)
b
500 ce. continuing
(choice c)
c
500 ce, continuing
(choice d)
d
500 ce, they continue
(choice e)
e
i would be guessing.
question 2 of 10
which choice most effectively combines the sentences at the underlined portion?
choose 1
(choice a)
a
the history of the kings of britain, and this book
(choice b, checked)
b
the history of the kings of britain, which
(choice c)
c
a book called the history of the kings of britain, as this
(choice d)
d
a book called the history of the kings of britain, and this
(choice e)
e
i would be guessing.
question 3 of 10
choose 1
(choice a)
a
no change
(choice b, checked)
b
insighted
(choice c)
c
cited
(choice d)
d
incited
(choice e)
e
i would be guessing.
question 4 of 10
which choice most effectively sets up the portrayal of guinevere discussed in the rest of the paragraph?
choose 1
(choice a)
a
however, chrétien de troyes, a french poet and contemporary of geoffrey, painted a very different version of the queen.
(choice b)
b
chrétien de troyes was a french poet who lived in the same century; he wrote many beautiful and moving poems that involve the knights of king arthur.
(choice c)
c
many historians believe that the french poet chrétien de troyes was the original writer to introduce lancelot’s character into the romance of arthur and guinevere.
(choice d)
d
in his poem eric and enide, the french poet chrétien de troyes depicts the romance of two lesser known characters in the arthurian tradition.
(choice e)
e
i would be guessing.
question 5 of 10
choose 1
(choice a)
a
no change
(choice b)
b
was enduring
(choice c, checked)
c
would have endured
(choice d)
d
has endured
(choice e)
e
i would be guessing.