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

2. To what researcher does the author refer when commenting on the first technique in Appendix 1?

3. What is the political purpose of regalia and pageantry, according to the author?

4. What is the second technique, described by the author in Appendix 1, for inducing a visionary state?

5. What is the potential danger of the second technique described in Appendix 1?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What is different about the two forms of visionary art discussed in Appendix 3?

4. What is the author's view of heaven and hell, as described at the end of the second essay?

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

6. What effects did our ancestors experience as a result of their diets, according to the information presented in Appendix 2?

7. According to the author, what is the role of psychics and mystics in the modern Western world, and why?

8. In general, what is the topic of the first essay?

9. How and why has the diet of most people changed over time?

10. In what other way did faithful people sometimes induce religious visions, according to the author?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The difference between Eastern and Western art is significant to Huxley. What are the major differences between these two cultural art forms? Why does Huxley feel that these differences are so significant? How do the differences between Eastern and Western art relate to the visionary experiences Huxley talks about in the rest of the text?

Essay Topic 2

Huxley is very interested in the mental state of schizophrenics and other neurotics. Why is this study so important to Huxley? What does he say about the state in which schizophrenics and other psychotics live their lives, and why does he feel that way? What can be done to help them? What can be done to simulate these disorders in a normal person, and why might that be done?

Essay Topic 3

Huxley describes various vision-inducing methods in the book. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each method, and why? Which one does Huxley prefer? What groups of people commonly used each method? Is each method still commonly used? Are they all equally effective? If not, which ones are more effective?

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