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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. In Part I, Essay 8, "Laws of Nature", what was the woman praying for her son to survive?

2. In Part I, Essay 1, "Evil and God", Lewis contends what about evil?

3. How do secularism and paganism compare to Christianity as belief systems, according to Lewis?

4. Which of the following is not a good use of apologetics, according to Lewis?

5. In addition to being good, Lewis states that Christianity must be defended for being which of the following?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Lewis believe that philosophy alone is insufficient for faith?

2. How are schoolboys taught Christianity in England?

3. How is Christianity transmitted, according to Lewis' writings in Part I, Essay 13, "On the Transmission of Christianity"?

4. What justification does Lewis use to explain that the universe is not meaningless?

5. Why does the answering of prayers not always necessitate supernatural intervention?

6. What argument does Lewis make to suggest that science incapable of invalidating religion?

7. What is the role of apologetics?

8. According to Lewis' writings in Part I, Essay 19, "What Are We to Make of Jesus Christ", what possible contradiction makes it difficult to discount the miracles associated with the life of Jesus?

9. Explain Lewis' argument that science does not undermine the occurrence of miracles.

10. Why did Lewis formulate his theories about the suffering of animals?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Lewis suggests that Christmas is the most important spiritual holiday in the year for many Christians. However, he complains that it has been co-opted by commercial interests, a phenomenon that he views as destructive and undesirable in many respects.

1) Discuss the commercial impact of Christmas according to Lewis and use his arguments to assess whether or not the commercial aspects of the holiday have a net positive or negative impact on the wider culture that they occur in.

2) Discuss Lewis opinion about the impact that the commercialization of Christmas has on Christians and their observance of this important holiday.

3) Summarize the unusual arguments that Lewis puts forward to denounce the commercialization of Christmas.

Essay Topic 2

Lewis recognizes the supreme importance of a human being's right to pursue happiness, but he loudly opposes anyone's explicit right to happiness itself.

1) Discuss the concepts of a "right to happiness" and a "right to pursue happiness" according to Lewis, and explain their differences.

2) Explain Lewis opinion regarding the importance of the right to pursue happiness within a free, democratic, and capitalist society.

3) Explain the way that Lewis believes that attempting to guarantee a right to happiness will lead inexorably to severe social problems.

Essay Topic 3

National repentance is the phenomenon of a nation's citizens feeling as if they must each personally atone for the wrongs of the nation as a whole. Although this guilt and the consequent repentance often makes people feel good, Lewis argues that it is undesirable and dangerous.

1) Explain the concept of national repentance and why it was prominent in Lewis' time.

2) Discuss the positive aspects that Lewis believes national repentance can bring about and what it is intended to achieve.

3) Discuss the problems that Lewis sees in national repentance. Explain how it can act as a distraction from real spiritual matters, and detail Lewis' arguments against it.

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