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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 ceremony was held on Holy Innocents' Day?

2. What is the original name for Bethlehem in the text? ("The Annunciation")

3. What are both the first and second shepherd afraid the third shepherd will do to them? ("The Second Shepherds' Pageant")

4. Which solider claims to be the best of all Herod's soldiers? ("Herod the Great")

5. Who does Abraham state that he loved Isaac as much as? ("Abraham and Isaac")

Short Essay Questions

1. What warning does the Messenger give to the audience (readers and play-viewers alike) in "Herod the Great"?

2. What does the editor state as interesting facts that surround "The Annunication"?

3. What happens to Lucifer when he plunges into Hell?

4. How is the character of Noah's wife, as depicted in the pageants, different from the orthodox theological idea of her?

5. What does the introduction to "The Annunciation" state as its origin?

6. What does Noah do as he leaves the ark for the first time in forty days?

7. What did the Introduction state was the "unity of biblical history"?

8. In the "Second Shepherds' Pageant", what are the shepherds complaining about?

9. What lie does Mak create to hide the fact that he has stolen a sheep?

10. For what other writings is the author of the "Shepherds' Pageants" responsible?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Given that these plays were based off of biblical stories, what issues could the Church have with the text's representation of each pageant? (One does not need to have a specific, or any, religious beliefs to answer. This essay can be based solely off of student perceptions of "questioning facts" in the text.)

Essay Topic 2

Many lessons were taught in the morality plays of the text. Which of the morality plays has the strongest message? What was the message? Why was it the most important in the text? How was the lesson taught?

Essay Topic 3

Rewrite one of the pageants in today's common language. How and in what ways would you keep the messages while bringing the text "current"?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 734 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample