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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. Why does Lorenza make Belbo leave the restaurant where they are supposed to have lunch?

2. Where is John Dee's alleged meeting with the mystics?

3. What were the relations between Napoleon and the Jesuits and Jews?

4. According to Casaubon's reinterpretation of Ardenti's parchment, how often are the Templars instructed to meet?

5. Casaubon believes that the information he printed out from Belbo's computer suggests a connection between the Templars and what other group?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is set up by the cloaked individuals in the Conservatoire?

2. What deduction do Casaubon and his group make about the Pendulum's purpose, in Chapter 99?

3. What do Casaubon and Lia talk about while on their family vacation?

4. Why does Casaubon include a group not related to the Freemasons when constructing his time line?

5. What was Napoleon's role in the Jesuit-Templar conflict?

6. What does Lia try to explain to Casaubon, in Chapter 63?

7. What conclusion does Belbo reach, regarding Francis Bacon, in the Plan?

8. What was the relationship between the Templars and the Jesuits, according to Casaubon's theory?

9. What story does Casaubon's group devise from Abulafia's output?

10. What does Aglie want Belbo to transport for him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The Plan begins as a game, but eventually leads to the deaths of all four main characters. How does the Plan transform from a hobby, into a deadly reality? Why does Belbo begin to believe that the Plan is real? What message is the author trying to convey, via the deaths of these four characters? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 2

Casaubon misses out on a lot of time with his wife and child as a result of his occult studies, despite the fact that his wife constantly tries to bring him back to them. Why does he prefer the Plan and other students of the occult to his own family? What is he seeking, that is so important? What sacrifices does he make, during his search for truth, and how do his sacrifices affect his family? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the theme of knowledge without understanding in the novel. How does the use of technology to accomplish some tasks diminish the significance of the result? How does each character feel about using computers and technology to perform certain tasks, such as permutations, and why? How does this theme, in the novel, reflect the increasing use of technology in modern society, and the author's attitude about it? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

(see the answer keys)

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