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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 Alyosha ask Ivan about his story?

2. Besides in the works specifically mentioned, where does Ivan say that Christian religious figures appear?

3. According to Ivan, did Jesus have any physical presence on earth in the 16th Century?

4. What doesn't the crowd do when they see Jesus perform two miracles?

5. Who does the grand inquisitor say the prisoner talked to in the wilderness?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the grand inquisitor's attitude to the three questions that tempted Jesus.

2. How does Our Lady feel when she sees sinners in the burning lake?

3. What happened the day before to 100 people declared as heretics?

4. Why doesn't the grand inquisitor want Jesus to add to his teachings?

5. How does the little girl feel when she comes back to life?

6. Why does the cardinal come to the prisoner's room alone and in the night?

7. Who is the spirit that talks with Jesus in the wilderness?

8. Why does Jesus appear at the specific time and place in Spain?

9. What is the subject of Ivan's Literary Preface?

10. What does the grand inquisitor believe is most important about Jesus' temptation?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the view on religion and history expressed by Ivan in his literary preface? What historical events does he reference? What religious ideas does he take for granted as he describes the progress of Christian thought? How does he describe this progress?

Essay Topic 2

Does the grand inquisitor believe in the prisoner's guilt or is he arresting him for another reason? What are the reasons the grand inquisitor might arrest a prisoner for? Does the grand inquisitor need to guard his motives for arresting prisoners? Why and how might he guard them?

Essay Topic 3

Why does Alyosha disbelieve the grand inquisitor's character? What does Alyosha believe about the church? What do Alyosha's reactions to Ivan's story reveal about him? When the brother's part what is Alyosha thinking or feeling?

(see the answer keys)

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