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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of these is NOT a vision which the author thinks might be produced by prodding the brain with an electrode?
(a) Weir Mitchell's visions of the Gothic tower.
(b) The author's friend's vision of a colorful Japanese landscape.
(c) Blake's visions of the Cherubim.
(d) Nostradamus's visions of the future.

2. The author feels that all human beings are naturally what?
(a) Introspective, but group-oriented.
(b) Introspective and solitary.
(c) Solitary, but sometimes focused on others.
(d) Solitary, but not introspective.

3. How are light and color typically experienced by mescalin users while they are under the influence of the drug?
(a) They appear as movement trails and waves.
(b) They appear in geometric shapes, such as buildings or mosaics.
(c) They appear in natural patterns and tessellations.
(d) They appear in soft, rounded shapes, such as balls or orbs.

4. Why are religious beings often portrayed doing nothing?
(a) Because it would be sacreligious to presume to know what divine beings do with their time.
(b) Because human beings are not predisposed to look for action in art.
(c) Because their role is not an active one.
(d) Because it is too difficult for most painters to make something beautiful and to also convey a message with it.

5. According to the author, what is theatrical spectacle?
(a) A transporting and enlightening form of pageantry.
(b) A means by which those without access to high culture can enjoy pageantry.
(c) Pageantry without religious or political overtones.
(d) A way of communicating morals and values to lower-class citizens.

6. What were the two primary uses of the science of "pyrotechny," according to the author?
(a) Fireworks and stage lighting.
(b) Stage lighting and religious ceremony.
(c) Weaponry and fireworks.
(d) Religious ceremony and weaponry.

7. The substance produced by the breakdown of adrenaline mimics the effect of what psychological disorder?
(a) Attention deficit disorder.
(b) Multiple personality disorder.
(c) Schizophrenia.
(d) Post-traumatic stress disorder.

8. According to the author, what is "one of the most magical and transporting of spectacles"?
(a) A bonfire.
(b) A fireworks display.
(c) A religious ceremony.
(d) An opera.

9. What topic does the author explore in Appendix 2?
(a) The personality traits common to most visionaries and mystics.
(b) The availability and safety of various vision-inducing techniques.
(c) The role of visionaries and mystics in the modern Western world.
(d) The uncommon accuracy with which most visionaries are able to recall their visions.

10. According to the author, which form of art is most practically useful?
(a) Architecture.
(b) Literature.
(c) Sculpture.
(d) Ceramics.

11. What is the art form which is most likely to transport those who experience it?
(a) Jewelry.
(b) Painting.
(c) Stained glass.
(d) Sculpture.

12. What is the drawback to the "visionary arts" mentioned in Appendix 3?
(a) They are ephemeral, and earlier masterpieces have been lost to us.
(b) They are experienced differently by each individual, so no one understands how another experiences them.
(c) They require a great deal of time, effort and expense to put on.
(d) They can only be experienced in large groups.

13. Which physiological system's tissues are more "vulnerable," according to the author, than the others?
(a) The gastrointestinal system.
(b) The limbic system.
(c) The nervous system.
(d) The cardiovascular system.

14. What discovery was made about the substance being tested in the early 1950s?
(a) It shouldn't be used by people with anxiety or panic disorders.
(b) It was a natural by-product of processing the plant in certain ways.
(c) Its chemical makeup is similar to adrenalin.
(d) It permanently alters the user's brain in some ways.

15. The substance being tested has been used by Native Americans of what region for hundreds of years?
(a) The Midwest.
(b) The Southeast.
(c) The Northeast.
(d) The Southwest.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which is NOT one of the "visionary arts" that the author mentions at the beginning of Appendix 3?

2. According to the author, in Appendix 2 what was the result of our ancestors' winter diets?

3. How are many visionaries received by others, according to the author?

4. What results were produced when a researcher prodded parts of the brain with a fine electrode?

5. What substance is produced when adrenalin decomposes?

(see the answer keys)

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