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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 is Barabbas hidden just before sunrise on the third day after the crucifixion?

2. Why were the Jewish people given the opportunity to pardon one prisoner's death sentence?

3. What does the hare-lipped girl do after the red-beaded man speaks to the Christians?

4. What does Barabbas ask the girl he meets in Jerusalem?

5. How does Barabbas react to the physical appearance of the believer he meets in the village on the mountain?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the hare-lipped girl.

2. What does the red-bearded man confess to Barabbas?

3. What statement does the fat woman make that offends the hare-lipped girl?

4. Why does Barabbas feel he has a stronger bond with Jesus than the Christians?

5. What does the red-bearded man claim is the point of the crucifixion?

6. Describe the man that Barabbas meets who was resurrected from the dead.

7. How does the fat woman react to Barabbas staying in Jerusalem?

8. Why does Barabbas leave the red-beaded man?

9. What does Barabbas think about as he lies awake next to the fat woman on his first night of freedom?

10. Why doesn't Barabbas believe that Jesus could be the Son of God?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Barabbas last words, "to thee I deliver up my soul," are not explained by the author. What might be the implications of these words?

1. Who might Barabbas be speaking to and why?

2. What might these words foreshadow for Barabbas's eternal future and why?

3. Why might Barabbas have spoken this particular phrase and how does it relate to his life story as told in the novel?

Essay Topic 2

What reasons does the red-bearded man give for Jesus' crucifixion and why? What reasons does Barabbas give for Jesus' crucifixion and why? What events affect Barabbas's reasoning and why?

Essay Topic 3

How does the news of the impending persecution of the Christians affect the characters in the low-vaulted room? Describe the forms of persecution the Christians in the novel face. How do they react to their persecutions? What effect do their persecutions and reactions have on Barabbas?

(see the answer keys)

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