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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 does first love not need according to the author?

2. What does the author say God's love is?

3. What is the quality of marital love's movements?

4. What is the only thing for which the author prays to God with his whole heart?

5. What are the excesses of the mystics according to the author of the letter?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the author assert is the principle reason for marrying?

2. When does the secretiveness about which the author writes gain its strength?

3. In what kind of moment does the author write he hopes his letter finds the young man, and why?

4. What does the author write about humility in love?

5. What does the author say could seriously tempt him to write books?

6. What is the author's stated intention?

7. What are some immoral motivations for marrying according to the author?

8. How does the author relate religion to swimming?

9. Why are erotic love and marriage irreconcilable according to the author?

10. What does the author write about his feelings of devotion for his wife?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the impact of "the congregation" on the author's thinking in EITHER/OR. Who is "the congregation"? What is the influence of "the congregation"? What emotional responses does the author say "the congregation" elicits? Discuss citing specific examples from the text.

Essay Topic 2

What do we come to understand about the young man to whom the letter is written? Create and defend a detailed portrait of the young man using specific clues from the text.

Essay Topic 3

In the second chapter of EITHER/OR the author discusses mysticism at length. How does the author define mysticism? What is the author's attitude toward mysticism? What is the mystic's error? And finally, how does the mystic choose himself "abstractly"? Discuss citing specific examples to support your argument.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 778 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample