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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 is the form of humor Biff tells Joshua he has created and Bart has named?

2. Who demands that the captain treat the boys fairly, frightening the captain out of his wits?

3. One rule of the Romans is to pay your taxes; what is the other rule?

4. What does Biff try to talk Raziel into buying in order to get him out of the hotel room for a bit?

5. Joshua heals John of a _______ he has developed from being in the water so much.

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Biff do in order to try to see Maggie, though this is not a successful idea?

2. What is Joshua's reaction to the statue of Venus they find at the gate of Sepphoris?

3. What is the prank Biff invites Maggie to come along to witness with he and Joshua?

4. Who is being accused of knifing the Roman legionnaire, even though he was not the guilty person?

5. Why is the city of Sepphoris now restricted in terms of who can come in and out of the gates?

6. What do Biff and Joshua do in order to shorten their trip to Antioch?

7. What reduces Mary's credibility in her talking about the virgin birth of Joshua, according to Biff's storytelling?

8. What does Biff claim to have invented, which was then named by Bart, though Joshua does not understand this?

9. Why are other people in the town afraid that Mary might attract too much attention from the Philistines?

10. What does Biff do in order to help Joshua begin to understand the idea of sex and what happens?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Bart, the town idiot, may seem to be simple to others in the story, but Biff thinks otherwise.

Part 1: Why do you think Moore included the idea of a village idiot in this story?

Part 2: What value do you feel Bart has for the story and for the other characters in the story?

Part 3: Why do you think Biff decides to listen to what Bart tells him about not thinking too much?

Essay Topic 2

What's most curious to a reader is that Joshua might be the Messiah, but he is not without flaws. He does make mistakes and has to learn lessons.

Part 1: Why do you think Joshua blinds the guard? What were his motives?

Part 2: What is the value in showing that Joshua is not without flaws? Would it have been better to show that he was perfect? Why or why not?

Part 3: Why do you think Moore kept Joshua slightly human-like in terms of his emotional behaviors?

Essay Topic 3

Biff is very curious as to how the events in the Bible are portrayed, finally securing a copy of the Bible to see how others have written about his lifetime.

Part 1: Why do you think Biff is so interested in learning more about the way the stories have been told?

Part 2: Why do you think Raziel doesn't want Biff to read any of the Bible's version of events?

Part 3: Do you think Biff needed to see what was already written down about his times? Or would it have been better for him to not have looked at the Bible? Why?

(see the answer keys)

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