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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 believer that Barabbas meets in the village on the mountain look like?

2. What does Barabbas think has happened to Jesus' body?

3. What event causes the soldiers near the cross to jump to their feet and grab their weapons?

4. Why would Barabbas normally avoid Golgotha?

5. What event takes place in the low-vaulted room?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Barabbas' actions and thoughts on the resurrection morning.

2. To what do the characters at the fat woman's house attribute the halo Barabbas describes seeing?

3. How do the characters react when the hill goes dark?

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

5. What do Barabbas and the characters at the fat woman's house discuss?

6. Describe hare-lipped girl's actions and thoughts on the resurrection morning.

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

8. Why is Barabbas pleased that he did not see the resurrection?

9. Describe what the characters do at the fat woman's house.

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How do the themes of monotheism (the worship of one God) and polytheism (the worship of multiple gods) affect the characters in the novel? What implications does the introduction of monotheism have for the Romans? What implications would the introduction of polytheism have for the Jews and Christians? Why might Barabbas have chosen to search for faith in both theologies?

Essay Topic 2

What is the Christian philosophy that the hare-lipped girl describes to Barabbas? How does that philosophy affect her life and the lives of the other Christians? How does it affect Barabbas's life? How does the behavior of the Christians in Jerusalem affect Barabbas's view of their philosophy?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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