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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 the author call a poet-existence?

2. About what emperor does the author go on at length?

3. What does the author assert is more important than cultivating one's mind?

4. What phrase does the young man fling about according to the author?

5. What kind of woman does the author compare the young man to?

Short Essay Questions

1. Briefly describe what the author means by the term Either/Or.

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

3. What does the author say is more important than choosing the right thing?

4. What does the author say is the proper attitude for a married man in a time of material need?

5. Describe the folktale about Roland's three squires.

6. How may talent become a hindrance to the enjoyment of life, according to the author?

7. Why does the author warn against young men being tied down to making a living right away?

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

9. 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?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

The author discusses depression at length in EITHER/OR. Why does the author assert men become depressed? When is depression virtuous and when is it self-indulgent? What does the author assert is the nature of his own depression? What does the author assert is the nature of the young man's depression? How does the author advise the young man to handle his melancholy. Discuss citing specific examples from the text.

Essay Topic 3

The final chapter of EITHER/OR takes the form of a sermon? How does this form serve the author's intentions? How does it limit him? What other form might the final chapter have taken? How would that change the effect of the book for better or worse? Cite specific examples from the text to support your position.

(see the answer keys)

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