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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. Aglie agrees to act as a consultant for Belbo and Casaubon free of charge, on what condition?

2. Why does Casaubon move?

3. Where does Aglie live?

4. What is Aglie's response when he is asked why he is so interested in the occult?

5. What does Colonel Ardenti think the Holy Grail might actually be?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why are the Rosicrucians so difficult to research, compared to the Knights Templar?

2. What changed, in Italy, during the time that Casaubon was living in Brazil?

3. What happens at the religious ceremony to which Aglie invites Casaubon and Amparo?

4. What is Aglie's response when Casaubon asks him why he associates himself with so many different occult practices?

5. What offer does Casaubon receive from Belbo in Chapter 37?

6. What are the origins of the religious traditions of Brazil, according to Aglie's discussion with Casaubon and Amparo?

7. Who is Casaubon?

8. What idea does Mr. Garamond get from his meeting with Professor Bramanti?

9. What were the origins of the Knights Templar?

10. How did the official end of the Knights Templar occur?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Amparo values reason over spirituality and mysticism, and is so embarrassed by her possession experience that she leaves Casaubon and never returns. Why is she so mortified by this experience? Why does she value reason so highly? What about her culture makes her more inclined toward mysticism, and why does she oppose those impulses? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 2

The Knights Templar are one of the main occult groups presented in the novel. Why is so little known about them? Why are they so central to a variety of beliefs and traditions? Why are scholars so interested in them after so many centuries? What information presented regarding the Templars is fact, and what is speculation? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the epistemological problem of truth. What is truth? Is it objective or subjective, and why? How does one know the truth when it is found? Why do Casaubon, Diotallevi and Belbo search so long for the truth? What is man's preoccupation with it? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

(see the answer keys)

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