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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. Near the end of Book 1 of Essays: Chapter 3, the two men that Montaigne discusses are cured of their affliction through what?

2. The unusual book that Montaigne's father came into possession of was written using the words endings from what language?

3. Montaigne characterizes his parents' treatment of him as which of the following?

4. In Book 1 of Essays: Chapter 2, Montaigne describes how the prince of what region gained control over part of France?

5. One argument that Montaigne responds to is the suggestion that the book he discusses does not demonstrate that Christianity is superior to what belief system?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Montaigne suggest that a liar can be caught?

2. What method does Montaigne use to discuss Sebond's work?

3. What dose Montaigne say are the consequences of failing to provide a child with parental affection?

4. What is strange about the way Feudalism tends to divide territory?

5. What is the purpose of this book, according to Montaigne?

6. What does Montaigne say about marriage near the end of Book 2 of Essays: Chapter 5?

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

8. What unusual rule did Knights of the Spanish order that Montaigne discusses have to obey, and why?

9. What factors in Europe tended to restrict the social status of women?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout his life, Montaigne was touched by the effects of death, and mortality was a constant but understated part of his thoughts and beliefs.

1) Summarize the losses that Montaigne experienced during his lifetime.

2) Discuss the impact that these losses had on Montaigne, and the reasons he had for avoiding writing about them in his works.

3) Describe the effect that mortality had on Montaigne's thinking and his works.

4) Describe how Montaigne was able to cope with the frequent loss of life that he witnessed.

Essay Topic 2

When Montaigne was mayor of Bordeaux, the city was struck by the bubonic plague, killing about half of its citizens. This plague was a major scourge of medieval Europe, and the suffering that it caused in Bordeaux was a major mark against his administration.

1) Explain the significance of the bubonic plague in medieval Europe. How common and deadly were typical outbreaks, according to Montaigne?

2) Discuss some of the common countermeasures used to combat the plague's effects and its spread. What did Montaigne do to slow its progress in Bordeaux?

3) Describe the impact that the outbreak of plague in Bordeaux had on Montaigne's life, his outlook, attitudes, and writings.

Essay Topic 3

Montaigne believes in the reality of objective truth, ideas that exist in a perfect state, without the need for human interpretation. He believes that although he, and all other humans, are imperfect interpreters of these truths, they cannot be diminished or tarnished in any way by human failings.

1) Discuss the concept of truth that Montaigne articulates in his essays. How are truths understood and derived, and where do they come from? How do human beings interact with the truth?

2) Montaigne suggests that he may contradict himself from time to time. Discuss one example of this, and describe how Montaigne might explain his mistake. How would he justify the perfection of the truth he was attempting to express in the face of this contradiction?

3) Discuss the importance of the concept of objective truth in some of Montaigne's other philosophies. How does it relate to these other ideas, and how are his arguments bolstered by a reliance on objective truth?

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