View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which is NOT an object or work of art that the author references in comparison to the subjects of La Tour's paintings?

2. What does the author say about Millais' "Ophelia" in Appendix 5?

3. According to the author, what theme is illustrated by the close-up landscapes of Chinese and Japanese art?

4. What is the subject of most of La Tour's paintings?

5. How is the subject of a great work of nature art portrayed, according to the author?

Short Essay Questions

1. According to the author, what is unique about "Raft of the Medusa," artistically speaking?

2. What is the difference, according to the author, between the two paintings he compares at the end of Appendix 5?

3. According to the author, how did La Tour feel about "theatrical effects" in his paintings?

4. What does the author mean when he calls La Tour an "extroverted visionary"?

5. What did Gericault use as models for his work, "Raft of the Medusa"?

6. What phrase does the author use to describe Gericault at the beginning of Appendix 7, and what does it mean?

7. What is the "negative significance" which, according to the author, Carlyle and others like him saw in the world?

8. Who is James Halliday?

9. According to the author, how did Gericault see the world?

10. To what does the author compare the world inhabited by schizophrenics in Appendix 6?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Huxley uses zoology as a metaphor for the unexplored regions of the human mind. What is a metaphor? What is Huxley trying to convey by using this metaphor? Is the metaphor effective and appropriate? If not, is there a more appropriate one which he could have used, and why would it have been better? Did this metaphor aid your understanding of Huxley's point?

Essay Topic 2

Huxley mentions the diminished role of psychics and visionaries in modern Western society. Why is this the case? Why are they still more prevalent in other societies? What changes occurred which brought about this situation? Do you agree with Huxley's opinion on psychics and visionaries?

Essay Topic 3

Huxley claims that people are so used to Nature, as it is seen from an everyday perspective, that they are fooled into thinking they know everything about it. What changes for people, according to Huxley, when this perspective is altered?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 920 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample