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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 does the god of the temple promise the protagonist of "The Circular Ruins"?
(a) To create a sunrise.
(b) To bring his son to life.
(c) To keep his son safe.
(d) To bring his daughter to life.

2. What do the Purifiers burn?
(a) Inappropriate books.
(b) Library cards.
(c) The library.
(d) Ashes.

3. In "The Approach to Al-Mu'tasim," why does the student run to the top of a tower?
(a) He is tired of all the fighting.
(b) He longs to end his suffering.
(c) He believes he has killed someone.
(d) He is angry.

4. What is The God of the Labyrinth?
(a) Historical fiction.
(b) A magazine article.
(c) A satirical play.
(d) A detective story.

5. What opinion does the narrator have of Herbert Quain's work?
(a) He could do better.
(b) It is genius.
(c) It is trite and meaningless.
(d) It is the work of an amateur.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Dr. Stephen Albert believe is hidden in Ts'ui Pen's novel?

2. With which country is Dr. Yu Tsun allied?

3. What type of genre is Herbert Quain's first novel?

4. What is unusual about the characters in The Secret Mirror?

5. What is exchanged for bits of bone or decorated parchment in "The Babylon Lottery"?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. How does Dr. Yu Tsun arrive at Stephen Albert's house?

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

5. Describe the second dream from "The Circular Ruins."

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

7. Why do some players of the Babylon lottery end up in jail?

8. What revelation does the narrator have about Uqbar and Tlon at the end of the story, "Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius"?

9. Why is the student trying to find Al-Mu'tasim?

10. In "The Circular Ruins," what fear does the protagonist have for his son?

(see the answer keys)

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