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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. In what does the author say the young man is prolific?

2. Why does the author say it seems superfluous to tell the young man what is aesthetic?

3. What does the author claim he is not?

4. What is the risk in despairing over something particular according to the author?

5. What is a moment that is more significant than everything else in the entire world according to the author?

Short Essay Questions

1. What risk does the author say one runs when one despairs about something in particular?

2. What does the author write about "the Moment"?

3. How does the author describe his depression?

4. What "gift of grace" does the author say he would add to those listed in the bible?

5. What advice does the author give the young man about despair?

6. What is the relationship between the ethical and the aesthetic?

7. Why does the author write humans fear death?

8. What does the author say the young man proposes is the definition of a hero? What does the author encourage the young man to suppose instead?

9. Explain how the author uses the metaphor of a ship captain to explain Either/Or.

10. What are somethings the author writes might be said to a depressed young man?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Both the author of the letter and the letter's recipient are men. Discuss the influence of gender in EITHER/OR. How might the letter be different if it were written by or to a woman? Why do you think both of the characters are men? Discuss citing specific examples.

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

Much of EITHER/OR takes the form of a letter written from an older man to a younger man. How does Kierkegaard use this format to accomplish his goals with the book? How might the message of the book feel different if it took another form? Discuss citing specific examples from the text.

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