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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. Whose testimony does Barabbas use when describing the resurrection to Sahak?

2. Why does Sahak believe he had been the recipient of a miracle?

3. What happened to Barabbas's mother after she gave birth to him?

4. Who releases Barabbas and Sahak from the mines?

5. Why does the one-eyed slave only have one eye?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Barabbas and Sahak's relationship above ground.

2. To what do the thieves attribute Barabbas's odd behavior?

3. What does Barabbas do after burying the hare-lipped girl?

4. What heresy does the blind man accuse the hare-lipped girl of spreading?

5. What explanation does Barabbas give the governor for the inscription on the back of his medallion?

6. What explanation does Sahak give the governor for the inscription on the back of his medallion?

7. What about Barabbas amazes Sahak?

8. Where might Barabbas might have been between the time that he left the thieves and when he was in the copper mines?

9. What is special about the inscription on the back of Sahak's slave medallion?

10. How does Barabbas suffer for the man who died in his place?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How do the characters at the fat woman's house rationalize the miracles Barabbas saw on Golgotha? How does their rationalization affect his character? What other miracles does Barabbas rationalize and what effect did his rationalization have on his character development?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Describe the symbolism behind the slave medallion and the inscriptions found on both sides of Sahak's and Barabbas's medallions. Compare and contrast how the inscription on the back of each man's medallion affected his character. What did the medallion symbolize for Barabbas after Sahak's death?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 735 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample