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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In what way does the second essay differ from the first?
(a) The second essay has a darker, more sinister tone than the first.
(b) The second was written before the author's experimentation with drugs.
(c) The second doesn't recount any specific experience.
(d) The second was originally a journal entry, and the author didn't intend to publish it.

2. What substance is the author testing in the experiment?
(a) Angel dust.
(b) Cocaine.
(c) Mescalin.
(d) Acid.

3. What is the potential danger of the second technique described in Appendix 1?
(a) It may create an unpleasant sensation of nausea or vertigo.
(b) It may last longer than the user originally intended.
(c) It may cause an epileptic seizure.
(d) It may produce long-term changes in brain function.

4. Artificial lighting gave, according to the author, a new visionary quality to what form of ancient art?
(a) Sculpture.
(b) Basketweaving.
(c) Architecture.
(d) Painting.

5. What is NOT a side-effect experienced by under-nourished individuals, according to the author in Appendix 2?
(a) Hypochondria.
(b) Euphoria.
(c) Depression.
(d) Anxiety.

6. What is the biggest difference between dreams and visions, according to the author?
(a) Visions are often similar to religious experiences, but dreams usually aren't.
(b) Visions can be induced, while dreams only happen randomly.
(c) Dreams can be had while awake or asleep, while visions only occur when one is awake.
(d) Color is rare in dreams, but is always present in visions.

7. Which physiological system's tissues are more "vulnerable," according to the author, than the others?
(a) The nervous system.
(b) The cardiovascular system.
(c) The limbic system.
(d) The gastrointestinal system.

8. According to the author, what are the two reasons for the manner in which visionaries are received?
(a) Chemical and physical.
(b) Physical and religious.
(c) Philosophical and chemical.
(d) Religious and philosophical.

9. What topic does the author explore in Appendix 2?
(a) The uncommon accuracy with which most visionaries are able to recall their visions.
(b) The role of visionaries and mystics in the modern Western world.
(c) The personality traits common to most visionaries and mystics.
(d) The availability and safety of various vision-inducing techniques.

10. According to the author in Appendix 2, how would "proponents of a 'Nothing-But' philosophy" interpret mystical experiences?
(a) As simply the results of chemical changes in the brain.
(b) As an inexplicable glimpse into the Mind-At-Large.
(c) As a profoundly religious experience, independent from chemical changes.
(d) The result of mental illness.

11. What is Heaven, according to the author?
(a) A concept invented by humanity because of our desperate need for hope.
(b) A vantage point for viewing divinity.
(c) A fallacy, created by those who misinterpreted visionary experiences.
(d) A place of rest and repose, where no one is doing anything.

12. Which of these is NOT a vision which the author thinks might be produced by prodding the brain with an electrode?
(a) Weir Mitchell's visions of the Gothic tower.
(b) Blake's visions of the Cherubim.
(c) Nostradamus's visions of the future.
(d) The author's friend's vision of a colorful Japanese landscape.

13. To what does the author compare someone fasting and self-flagellating, instead of using drugs, to achieve a visionary experience?
(a) Tying your hands together and trying to knit.
(b) Burning down a house to roast a pig.
(c) Rowing a boat, or using a motor.
(d) Driving somewhere instead of flying there.

14. What was a magic lantern show?
(a) A laser light display.
(b) A projection created with cut-glass and candlelight.
(c) The nineteenth-century equivalent of a movie.
(d) An early fireworks display.

15. What affects one's ability to have visionary experiences, according to the author, if one is using the first method mentioned in Appendix 1?
(a) The amount of substance that is allowed to reach the brain.
(b) The number of times a person has used.
(c) The duration of use.
(d) The person's disposition before use.

Short Answer Questions

1. How would a spiritual person interpret chemically-induced visionary experiences?

2. What researcher performed experiments with touching parts of the brain with a fine electrode?

3. What is the first of the two methods the author discusses in Appendix 1 for inducing visionary experiences?

4. According to the author, in Appendix 2 what was the result of our ancestors' winter diets?

5. Which is NOT one of the "visionary arts" that the author mentions at the beginning of Appendix 3?

(see the answer keys)

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