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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 does Aglie ask Belbo to do for him?

2. Who is Kelly?

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

4. Where does Casaubon go to inquire about Aglie in Chapter 112?

5. What is Salon's profession?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens during the trip Belbo takes with Lorenza?

2. What does Belbo say about the believability of the Plan, in Chapter 100?

3. Which cloaked individuals does Casaubon recognize?

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

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

6. How does Casaubon reinterpret the message of the parchment Ardenti discovered?

7. What experiment does Casaubon want to conduct with Abulafia?

8. What does Casaubon do after the night at the Conservatoire?

9. Why does Casaubon enter randomly chosen lines of text, which have nothing to do with the occult, into the computer?

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

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

Many different views are expressed in the novel regarding occult knowledge; for example, Bramanti wants to disseminate occult knowledge because of the power inherent in it, whereas Garamond cares only for the profit that can be gained from selling it. Discuss the different views of occult knowledge and mysticism presented in the novel, and reasons for each of those views. Which one do you agree with most, and why? Which one do you think the author would agree with, and why? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the author's reasons for writing this novel. What can you infer about his views of the occult, based on this novel and the way it is presented? Do you think Casaubon is a character to whom he can relate? Why or why not? In what way do the author's views come out in the novel? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

(see the answer keys)

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