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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. What does the new Pope, at the opening of Scene VIII, want Galileo to study?

2. At the end of Scene Seven, the "Little Monk" told Galileo that he cannot understand what?

3. What type of language does the Inquisitor say that Galileo writes in?

4. What is the only thing that the people from the "Little Monk's" village knew about?

5. Where does Scene VII open?

Short Essay Questions

1. What problems does Virginia find with Galileo traveling to Padua and taking time off?

2. What did the astronomer at the University tell Virginia about her horoscope?

3. What were the problems that Galileo faced with living in both Florence and the Republic regarding the Discorsi?

4. Why does Ludovico call off the wedding to Virginia?

5. What does Andrea say the inquisition was doing to the "truth"?

6. Why does Vanni tell Galileo that he is on his side regarding Galileo's teachings?

7. Why does the "Little Monk" use the story of his family and town's history to show Galileo his fears about the mixing of science and religion?

8. Why does The Grand Duke ask Galileo about his eyesight?

9. What do the experiment with the iron needle and water prove?

10. When at the summoning Galileo, Galileo tells Virginia that he is afraid of Rector Gaffone. Why is Galileo afraid of the Rector?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Courage is a theme masked by the scientific overtone of the play, but courage is relevant. Find three courageous moments during the play. Discuss the person who was courageous, why they were courageous, and what happened to them because of their courage. Cite examples from the text to support your statements.

Essay Topic 2

Galileo, even against the majority of society, honestly believed in his teachings. Find three examples about why Galileo believed that his teachings were correct and should be accepted by the Church and discuss their importance.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the carnival scene. What was important about the scene? What did you learn from the scene? Given that it takes the movement away from the main action of the play, why was the scene necessary?

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This section contains 985 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample