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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does the author return to explaining in Book II, Chapter XXII?
(a) The poem from the prologue.
(b) The author's credentials for writing.
(c) Another author's works.
(d) A verse from the Bible.

2. What can a soul not see beyond until it has been properly purged?
(a) The eyes of a human.
(b) God's message.
(c) Sin and evil.
(d) The darkness.

3. In what kind of way would the soul respond to God's love if the senses were not numbed?
(a) Joyous.
(b) Deceitful.
(c) Impure.
(d) Grateful.

4. Where must man walk to be protected from the evil of natural senses?
(a) Through hell.
(b) In darkness.
(c) Around the world.
(d) In heaven.

5. What holds the soul in bondage?
(a) Human thought.
(b) Peer pressure.
(c) The devil and the senses.
(d) God.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the purpose for writing Dark Night of the Soul that St. John describes?

2. In Book II, Chapter XVII, who is given the knowledge of the divine?

3. What is the term given to a spiritual experience beyond words?

4. Who else can descend and ascend upon the spiritual ladder besides men, according to Book II, Chapter XIII?

5. According to Book II, Chapter XIV, why does the soul speak these lines: "I went forth without being observed / My house being now at rest"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the soul speak of being happy by using the symbolism of a house in Book II, Chapter XIV?

2. Why is the experience of the dark night and the spiritual ladder called "secret," as explained by the author?

3. What is the author discussing in the second stanza of his poem from the prologue that is further explained in Book II, Chapter XV?

4. From where does St. John say the image of the spiritual ladder is derived?

5. How does a purifying fire of love affect the souls of humans and angels in relation to a closeness with God as described by the author?

6. How can a soul reach the final step on the secret ladder? What happens on this step?

7. What did God do with Job during the dark night that allowed the devil access to his life, as explained by the author?

8. Why must the soul become numb to natural desires to receive God's strength and a union with God, according to Book II, Chapter XVI?

9. What does St. John say happens to the soul after it has become enkindled and starts yearning for God? What would happen if the fire were to go away?

10. How does St. John describe the trail that God walks as He leads the soul on its journey through the darkness?

(see the answer keys)

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