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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 social class was Montaigne born into?

2. In Book 1 of Essays: Chapter 3, Essay #10, Montaigne discussed the cultural practices of what people?

3. How often does Montaigne criticize the book that he translated in his discussion of it?

4. About what percentage of Bordeaux's population died as a result of the major disease that hit it while Montaigne was in office there?

5. Montaigne describes how soldiers sometimes do what in desperate times?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Montaigne believe that judgment about lying are influenced by motive?

2. What is Montaigne's opinion of war horses in general?

3. What problem does Henry, the duke of Normandy, experience in one of Montaigne's stories?

4. Why does Montaigne believe it is possible to laugh and cry about the same thing?

5. What was the cause of most religious wars in Europe in Montaigne's time?

6. What important contribution did Gutenburg make?

7. What was Montaigne's general attitude towards marriage?

8. What was the unusual book that Montaigne translated for his father?

9. What does Montaigne says about the equality of vices?

10. What dose Montaigne say that soldiers sometimes have to resort to for survival?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Montaigne regards lying to be a major vice, but one which he makes a minor exception for in certain cases. He discusses this vice in detail, describing some ways that it causes problems for those who indulge in it, and discussing ways that lies can be discovered.

1) Describe Montaigne's opinion about the acceptability of lying. Does he believe it is a vice in all cases? Does Montaigne believe that some lies are morally acceptable, or even desirable?

2) Discuss the negative effects that Montaigne says lying has on those who compulsively or frequently lie.

3) Explain the strategies that Montaigne recommends for identifying and uncovering lies.

Essay Topic 2

Montaigne believes solitude to be exceedingly important in the pursuit of honestly and unfiltered self-analysis, a goal he regards as being objectively desirable. He claims that one's thought and words are affected by others, even if only out of politeness and sociability, and that this filtering acts to hinder proper, honest thought.

1) Explain why Montaigne believes that achieving honest self-analysis is a desirable goal. Discuss some of the prerequisites that Montaigne sees as being necessary for achieving this goal.

2) Discuss the effect that Montaigne believes other people have on an individual's thought processes. Is this reaction essential good or bad? Is it dishonest or sincere?

3) Describe the importance that Montaigne places on solitude, and what he believes people should do to benefit most from the experience of solitude. How does this belief tie into his assertion about self-analysis?

Essay Topic 3

During his travels, Montaigne encounters a wide range of languages in colloquial use, reflecting the rapidly changing political landscape that results from the pressures and oddities of the feudal system.

1) Describe some of the unusual trends in language use that Montaigne witnessed during his travels. Which language stood out the most, and why?

2) Montaigne was somewhat disappointed to discover that foreigners often spoke with him in French. Describe the prominence of the French language in the countries that Montaigne visited and discuss the reasons for this phenomenon.

3) Relate the spread and persistence of foreign-language use to the feudal political system that dominated medieval Europe.

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