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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. When did fireworks re-enter the world of popular entertainment, according to the author?
(a) During the reign of Elizabeth I.
(b) During the Industrial Revolution.
(c) During the Renaissance.
(d) In the mid-18th century.

2. Why are religious beings often portrayed doing nothing?
(a) Because it is too difficult for most painters to make something beautiful and to also convey a message with it.
(b) Because their role is not an active one.
(c) Because it would be sacreligious to presume to know what divine beings do with their time.
(d) Because human beings are not predisposed to look for action in art.

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

4. 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) Driving somewhere instead of flying there.
(c) Rowing a boat, or using a motor.
(d) Burning down a house to roast a pig.

5. Who used to say that when he self-flagellated God would deny him nothing?
(a) The Cure d'Ars.
(b) Benedict XVI.
(c) Saint John.
(d) The Apostle Paul.

Short Answer Questions

1. What development contributed greatly, according to the author, to pageantry and theatrical spectacle?

2. In what type of plant is the substance being tested commonly found?

3. According to Huxley, what causes negative visionary experiences?

4. How does the author feel about the passage of time during the experiment?

5. According to the author, what is "one of the most magical and transporting of spectacles"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is the author eager to participate in the study of peyote and mescalin?

2. What does the author say in "Heaven and Hell" about gemstones?

3. What is known about peyote before the author participates in his experiment with it?

4. What does the author say about the history of fireworks, in Appendix 3?

5. How does light affect the art of sculpture?

6. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the second vision-inducing method discussed in Appendix 1?

7. How was pageantry used as a political tool?

8. What does the author begin to ponder after seeing a book of Sandro Botticelli's paintings in the World's Biggest Drug Store?

9. How does the author feel about the explanations for visions which he presents in Appendix 2?

10. How did movies evolve, according to the information presented in Appendix 3?

(see the answer keys)

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