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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. The Tzarist agent was central in creating what?

2. Who was John Dee?

3. What is one of the uncontroversial facts Casaubon enters into the computer?

4. Who is mentioned as being a Russian adept and Tzarist agent?

5. When Casaubon shows Lia the parchment that started his involvement in the Plan, what does she think is written on it?

Short Essay Questions

1. According to Casaubon's theory about the Jesuits, who were the Rosicrucians and the Scottish Rite Freemasons?

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

3. Which cloaked individuals does Casaubon recognize?

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

5. What are Casaubon's speculations about Mr. Postel, in Chapter 88?

6. What is the final piece of information for the Plan, supplied by Salon?

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

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

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

10. What happens to Belbo after receiving the last piece of the Plan from Salon?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Lia suggests that God, Synarchy and many other occult traditions in the novel are really all the same thing. Why does she suggest this? What do all belief systems and traditions have in common? Why does she feel that people need to have something in which to believe? Do you agree with her assessments? Why or why not? 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

Diotallevi believes that permutations, and other searches for occult knowledge, should be performed manually, whereas Belbo and Casaubon want to use Abulafia to perform these tasks. What is Diotallevi's reasoning for his preference? How do Belbo and Casaubon respond to him? What is lost when a task is performed by a computer, instead of being performed manually? How does the lack of effort created by this method change the meaning or outcome of the task? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

(see the answer keys)

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