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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 Montaigne believe about action and words?

2. Why did Montaigne write his travel journals?

3. What city did Guiseppe serve when Montaigne met him?

4. Montaigne's sees which of the following as being the role of a man?

5. What nation did Guiseppe defect to?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are Montaigne's influences in his "Apology to Raymond Sebond"?

2. Why does Montaigne admire Cato?

3. What did the notorious criminal Catena once force two men to do before he killed them?

4. How does Montaigne say that he was able to deal with the restrictions of marriage?

5. What qualities interest Montaigne about public water?

6. What is Montaigne's general perspective?

7. What disappointed Montaigne in Rome?

8. What does Montaigne say about truth?

9. Overall, what is Montaigne's writing style like?

10. According to the note at the beginning of Book 3 of Essays: Chapter 12, why is the editor interested in Montaigne's travel journals?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The subject of repentance is central to Montaigne's religion, and he expresses sincere and powerful opinions on the subject, making clear distinctions about what can be repented for, and how this act can be cathartic or destructive.

1) Discuss what repentance means to Montaigne, why it is important to a healthy spiritual life, and how its misuse can be harmful.

2) Describe the limits and rules that Montaigne recommends for repentance. What type of acts does he say cannot be repented of?

3) Discuss Montaigne's assessment of the importance of repentance in Christianity and in Catholicism specifically. Explain how these ideas relate to Montaigne's own opinions.

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

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.

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