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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What do the people of Tlon consider to be the most powerful tool mankind can possess?
(a) Water.
(b) Time.
(c) The mind.
(d) Reflection.

2. From what point of view is "The Library of Babel" written?
(a) First person.
(b) Second person omniscient.
(c) Third person.
(d) Second person.

3. Who approaches Dr. Stephen Albert's house while he and Dr. Yu Tsun are conversing?
(a) Vietcong.
(b) Richard Madden.
(c) Ts'ui Pen.
(d) British soldiers.

4. Where does the narrator discover "The First Encyclopedia of Tlon"?
(a) Among Herbert Ashe's possessions.
(b) On the island of Tertius.
(c) Inside a mirror.
(d) In the library.

5. In "Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius", from what source does one of the men quote?
(a) An encyclopedia.
(b) A scientific journal.
(c) A novel.
(d) A play.

Short Answer Questions

1. What body organ begins a dream of the protagonist in "The Circular Ruins"?

2. What does Herbert Quain inspire the narrator to write?

3. Who examines Pierre Menard's manuscripts?

4. Which poem does Pierre Menard describe as being an essential work of literature?

5. According to the narrator, what is the most important theme of "The Approach of Al-Mu'tasim"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is unique about the Babylon lottery?

2. What is the significance of the student in "The Approach of Al-Mu'tasim" relinquishing his social status?

3. What fear does the Company in "The Babylon Lottery" inspire?

4. What is the irony prevalent in "Pierre Menard, Author of Don Quixote"?

5. Who are the Purifiers?

6. In "The Circular Ruins," what revelation does the protagonist have about his own identity?

7. Describe Dr. Yu Tsun.

8. What opinion does Pierre Menard have of Cervantes' "Don Quixote"?

9. What inconsistencies exist in the writings of Herbert Quain?

10. In "Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius," what dispute arises from the discussion about mirrors?

(see the answer keys)

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