The Iron Duke
Quiz
1. Main Idea
What is the main idea of the story?
It never pays to be the sidekick of a dishonest man.
Impersonating people can be very dangerous.
Women within the royalty can never really fall in love with anyone.
Even a man who has made his living dishonestly can find honor within himself and become a leader.
2. Sequence
What belongs in the middle?
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1
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Blacky Lee accuses the real Philip of being the impostor.
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2
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3
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Blacky Lee and Stub Doyle end up in jail.
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Blacky makes a deal with Countess Zita to marry him.
Stub Doyle pretends to be Pierre Cartier.
Blacky meets Countess Zita in the garden.
Grauch shoots Blacky while Blacky tries to use Philip as a shield.
3. Cause and Effect
Blacky Lee looks like the Archduke of Algoria, so ________________
Countess Zita thinks that if she marries him, she’ll be rich
Stub Doyle likes to be seen with him.
he has to sign autographs for everyone.
the lieutenant on the train apologizes for interrupting him.
4. Cause and Effect
Blacky Lee sees the grenade fly into the carriage, so _____________.
he throws it at Stub to get it away from himself.
he puts his hands over his eyes and prepares to die.
he jumps out of the carriage and runs as fast as he can
he catches it and throws it back where it came from
5. Context Clues
Mercenaries are ___________.
men and women of royal blood
compassionate men who try to help people
homeless men who have been forced to serve a monarch
professional soldiers who work strictly for money
6. Context Clues
The Sons of Freedom were a group of _______________ who were trying to take over the country.
royal discontents
black slaves
army men
communists
7. Prediction or Inference
Why do you think Stub Doyle stayed with Blacky Lee even though he was always nervous about where Blacky’s actions would lead them?
He secretly hoped to steal whatever Blacky was able to get from their dealings .
He was probably really Blacky’s brother and felt he had to stay with him.
He didn’t have anywhere else to go.
He admired him for his skills and his easy attitude about life.
8. Prediction or Inference
What do you think happens after the book ends now that Blacky is the Iron Duke?
He turns back to his criminal dealings because he really enjoyed being on the run.
He becomes a drunk just like Philip had been.
He gets lazy and lets the Sons of Freedom take over after all.
Blacky and Countess Zita get married and rule Aldoria with honor.
9. Facts and Details
After Blacky meets the woman in the garden, ______________.
he went for a long walk around town
he followed her to find out who she was
he found Stub and they went to a nearby restaurant for dinner
he is abducted by the Sons of Freedom and makes a deal with them
10. Facts and Details
When Blacky (as archduke) is brought to Vorin, Grauch is shocked to see him because, ______________.
Blacky was with Countess Zita and they have never liked each other
he thought the archduke was dead and that he could take over the country himself
he has not seen him for a really long time
he just put out the lights in the room of the archduke a few hours ago
11. Facts and Details
Grauch realizes that _______________ has been sending Blacky food, wine and books in prison.
Philip, Archduke of Aldoria
Stub Doyle’s mother
one of Blacky’s fans
Countess Zita
12. Facts and Details
Grauch wants Blacky to impersonate the archduke so that ___________.
Blacky will become even more popular than he already is
he would not have to go through the effort to get Philip sobered up in time
the real archduke won’t be assasinated
he can appear sober and make a strong public appeal against an election to his people
13. Facts and Details
The women of Aldoria had been demanding the right to vote, which is also called ___________.
women’s voting
mental warfare
whining
suffrage
14. Facts and Details
Instead of Blacky Lee arriving to get Countess Zita, Stub arrives with a __________.
new diamond tiara
gift of a new hat
train ticket for her to meet Blacky
letter from Blacky
15. Facts and Details
At the end of the book, Blacky is shocked to hear the mobs shouting at him, _______________
“Blacky Lee for President!”
“Congratulations on your wedding-to-be!”
“Get out of town!”
“Long live The Iron Duke!”
5a1
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The Iron Duke
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Name
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Date
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24/3
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CHARACTERS
Write about the following characters, and be sure to explain their relationships to the other characters.
Blacky Lee
Blacky Lee is an American arms merchant who is wanted by several governments for his dishonest dealings. He keeps his sidekick, Stub Doyle, in a constant state of agitation due to his nonchalant attitude about their infamy. Blacky happens to closely resemble Philip, the Archduke of Aldoria, and has made plans to use this by learning about the archduke and practicing his signature. He gets his chance when the Countess Zita and the man who heads the Sons of Freedom mistake him for Philip. The first he falls in love with and the other abducts him and makes a deal with him to abdicate and allow an election to take place. He eventually finds himself face to face with the actual archduke and gets arrested, but since the real archduke is a drunk, he’s needed to impersonate Philip at an official event. While performing this task, he discovers that he has honor and compassion and has become an honest person. He ends up becoming the Iron Duke and ruling Aldoria himself.
Stub Doyle
Stub Doyle is Blacky Lee’s sidekick. He admires Blacky for his looks and easy attitude, but he is constantly in a state of fear at how Blacky seems to care so little about the outcome of their dishonest schemes. While Blacky is impersonating the archduke, Stub Doyle’s job is to act as a French psychiatrist who has brought about the “miraculous” recovery and change in the “archduke” and his habitual drinking. Despite his constant agitation, he is loyal and stays with Blacky through everything.
Countess Zita
Countess Zita is a beautiful, strong-minded, outspoken woman of the royalty who sees Blacky in a garden and mistakes him for the archduke. She takes it upon herself to bring him home for his own safety. When Blacky is imprisoned, she sends him food, wine and books to read. After Blacky (impersonating the archduke) announces, against the wishes of the monarchy, that there will be an election, she is very upset as she is sure they will lose the election to the Sons of Freedom. She unhappily agrees to Blacky’s proposal to marry him if he manages to win the election for the crown.
SUMMARY
Write a summary of the book on a separate piece of paper. You may prepare for an oral summary if you prefer.
SBQ (Story-based Questions)
Answer the following questions in short sentences.
1. How does Blacky Lee meet the Countess Zita for the first time?
She sees him in the garden of the Crown Hotel and mistakes him for Philip, Archduke of Aldoria.
2. Where does Blacky find himself when he comes to from the chloroform used to abduct him?
He is in an old Roman bathhouse with a group of the Sons of Freedom.
3. While trying to prove he is the real archduke, what question is Philip unable to answer?
He in unable to remember his grandmother’s full name.
4. When the old man throws a bottle of cheap wine into the royal carriage as an insult, what does Blacky do?
He pours the wine into his helmet and shares it with the old man.
5. What is the reason Blacky gives Countess Zita for announcing there would be an election?
He said he announced it because she wasn’t there.
6. What deal does Blacky make with Countess Zita?
He wants her to marry him in exchange for him winning the election for the crown.
7. What is Blacky’s plan to win the election for the crown?
He wants to give women the right to vote that they have been asking for so they will all vote for Philip.
8. What was the letter to Countess Zita from Blacky Lee about?
He told her she did not have to keep the bargain they’d made to marry him.
SBD(Story-based Discussion)
While you are reading the book, find the answers to the following questions. You don’t have to write down the answers.
1. Who are the Sons of Freedom?
They are a communist group who are trying to overthrow the monarchy in Aldoria and turn it communistic.
2. What identity does Blacky Lee come up with for Stub Doyle?
He tells him to be Pierre Cartier, a French psychiatrist who is responsible for the change in the “archduke.”
3. How does Blacky handle the heckler when he is going from town to town making speeches for the crown?
He faces him physically and wins the fistfight, making the crowds love him.
SAW (Story-applied Writing)
Pick one topic below and write a complete response.
1. Write the next chapter of the book, explaining what happens now that Blacky Lee is the Iron Duke and the new leader of Aldoria.
2. Compare and contrast Blacky Lee with a character you have read about in another book.
3. Choose a few scenes from the book and rewrite them from Stub Doyle’s perspective.
FIND THE MEANING
1. belied means
lied better
melted
swore an oath
melted
swore an oath
contradicted
2. unkempt means
unmowed
small and heavy
unsavory
messy and neglected
3. appease means
move
create
award
soothe
4. personable means
girlish
nervous
easily upset
nervous
easily upset
sociable
5. gruesome means
growing and expanding
near and far
fast and furious
near and far
fast and furious
frightful and shocking
6. melancholy means
pretty: unblemished
fruit salad
fruit salad
a beautiful song
sadness; depression
sadness; depression
7. quell means
demand
ask questions
move quickly
put an end to
ask questions
move quickly
put an end to
8. redoubtable means
related to
unconvincing
easily doubted
unconvincing
easily doubted
commanding respect
9. vagaries means
odd feelings
loud, annoying noises
learned behaviors
loud, annoying noises
learned behaviors
unpredictable occurrences
10. onerous means
with honor
having only one
smelly
having only one
smelly
burdensome
COMPLETE THE SENTENCES
11. His mother was unable to shake her _____ after the death of his father.
quell
belied
vagaries
melancholy
belied
vagaries
melancholy
12. The major is such a ___________ man I don’t see how anyone can disobey him.
unkempt
onerous
appease
redoubtable
onerous
appease
redoubtable
13. They were unable to __ the uprising and the government fell to the resistance.
belied
personable
vagaries
quell
vagaries
quell
14. The old woman was so _________ that we knew she must be homeless.
redoubtable
onerous
appease
onerous
appease
unkempt
15. That is one of the most murders that has ever been in the papers!
vagaries
quell
personable
gruesome
personable
gruesome
16. We were unable to the child who had gotten separated from his mother.
melancholy
gruesome
personable
gruesome
personable
appease
17. I don’t understand why you don’t like him. He’s such a ___ young man.
onerous
belied
vagaries
personable
belied
vagaries
personable
18. It is the __________ of life that keep it interesting!
redoubtable
quell
appease
vagaries
quell
appease
vagaries
19. His sad eyes ________ his big smile.
unkempt
onerous
gruesome
belied
20. It was such an request that I almost refused him the favor.
melancholy
appease
quell
onerous
appease
quell
onerous