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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where do Belbo and Lorenza go while Casaubon is on vacation?

2. Where is John Dee's alleged meeting with the mystics?

3. According to Casaubon's group, what was the reason for the founding of the Rosicrucians?

4. What is Casaubon doing at the end of the novel?

5. Which of these is a conclusion of Belbo's that Casaubon finds important?

Short Essay Questions

1. What story does Casaubon's group devise from Abulafia's output?

2. What does Belbo say about the believability of the Plan, in Chapter 100?

3. According to Casaubon's group, what were some of the Jesuits' accomplishments?

4. What was the relationship between the Templars and the Jesuits, according to Casaubon's theory?

5. What happens in the story Belbo creates from Abulafia's printouts?

6. What is the final piece of information for the Plan, supplied by Salon?

7. What does Aglie want Belbo to transport for him?

8. What deduction do Casaubon and his group make about the Pendulum's purpose, in Chapter 99?

9. What happens to Casaubon at the end of the novel?

10. What do Salon and Casaubon talk about when Casaubon visits Salon in his shop?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Lorenza's relationship with Belbo is a complicated one. How does Belbo feel about her, and how does she respond? What effect does their relationship have on Belbo? How is she involved in Belbo's murder? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 2

The author includes a great deal of technical information related to mathematics, physics, and other scientific disciplines. What purpose does this information serve in the novel? Why does the author choose to include it? How would the novel be different without the addition of this information? Do you agree with its inclusion, or would the novel have been better without it? Why? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

Amparo values reason over spirituality and mysticism, and is so embarrassed by her possession experience that she leaves Casaubon and never returns. Why is she so mortified by this experience? Why does she value reason so highly? What about her culture makes her more inclined toward mysticism, and why does she oppose those impulses? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

(see the answer keys)

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