Curated set · answers marked
What is the main reason Don Quixote believes he should become a knight-errant at the start of the novel?
Rationale
In Part I, Cervantes shows that Don Quixote (Alonso Quijano) has lost touch with reality due to his obsession with chivalric romances. Believing the world needs knights-errant, he puts on makeshift armor and sets off to achieve heroic feats, which highlights the novel's key theme of illusion versus reality.
What primarily drives Don Quixote to decide to become a knight-errant?
Rationale
Cervantes makes it clear that Don Quixote (Alonso Quijano) becomes so engrossed in chivalric books that he loses his grasp on reality and truly believes he must embark on a quest as a knight-errant to correct injustices and protect the helpless. Dulcinea (option C) is a character he creates after making this choice, not the reason for it.
What is the main reason Don Quixote confuses ordinary objects and people with fantastical enemies and noble figures throughout the novel?
Rationale
Cervantes makes it clear in Part I that Alonso Quijano (Don Quixote) has read so many chivalry books that he's lost his grip on reality. He truly thinks he is a knight-errant on a noble quest, leading him to mistake windmills for giants, inns for castles, and peasants for noble ladies.