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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. Why did Van write letters to Davy after her death?

2. What did Van see on his way to the hospital in "The Deathly Snows?"

3. What was Joy dying of?

4. What did Van say when Davy asked him not to follow her in death?

5. Who was Joy Davidman?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why was Davy's death described as a "severe mercy?"

2. What did Lewis warn Van about in terms of eternity?

3. What made Van stop writing letters to Davy?

4. What happened to Joy's health?

5. What did Davy do when she returned home after being in the hospital?

6. How did Lewis respond to Van's attempt to disown Christ in "The Way of Grief?"

7. How did Van and Davy reunite after breaking their barrier in "The Barrier Breached?"

8. How did Van compare seeing the "Davies" to a novel?

9. What did Van feel when he returned to Oxford in "Epilogue: The Second Death?"

10. How did Lewis reflect on time in "The Severe Mercy?"

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the role of intellectual communities in this book? How are they formed? What do they do? How do these communities affect the individuals and their story?

Essay Topic 2

Examine the theme of privacy in this book. Show how the author uses this theme to explore religion.

Essay Topic 3

Analyze Van's poetry. Choose three of Van's poems and discuss their literary value, purpose, and devices used in each poem.

(see the answer keys)

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