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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. How does the woman think Vane has shamed her?

2. In what does Vane now find joy?

3. What does Vane wonder why he is not being treated as?

4. What is Mr. Vane doing at the opening of the book?

5. What is one person the papers mention?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Vane do that is an "awful duty"?

2. Describe Bulika.

3. Why do the Little Ones weep and why does Vane worry about his interaction with them?

4. Briefly describe the legend that Mr. Vane learns from his butler.

5. What happens to set Mr. Vane off on his quest?

6. What does Raven say every human being has within?

7. What does Mr. Vane think may have happened to him and what does he do because of that?

8. What does Raven say about prayers to Vane?

9. Why does Vane go to Bulika?

10. How does Raven explain the sleepers?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss one of the following:

1. Thoroughly trace and analyze the theme of "universal salvation" as it occurs in LILITH. What does this term mean in context of Christianity? How is it expressed in Lilith? Is this concept part of the fundamental precepts of most Christian sects? Why or why not?

2. Thoroughly trace and analyze the theme of greed as it occurs in LILITH. What characters are greedy? Why? Is Vane greedy when he reaches out to grasp the beautiful creature he sees (Chapter 7, p. 47). Who is able to let go of greed? How do they do so? Does anyone refuse to transform his/her greed? Who? Why?

3. Thoroughly trace and analyze the juxtaposing of beauty with evil. How are the two concepts related? What characters are beautiful? Is beauty only physical? What characters are beautiful on the outside but evil on the inside? Is the internal evil transformed to match the external beauty? With whom? How?

Essay Topic 2

Chapter 1, "The Library," establishes that young Mr. Vane, an orphan and recent Oxford graduate, has an interest in the metaphysical. Discuss the following:

1. Define the term "metaphysical."

2. Discuss what elements of the metaphysical appear in Lilith, e. g.: What elements of Lilith seem outside the five senses? Give examples. What things that happen cannot be proved by normal scientific methods?

3. What challenges are there in reading a novel that is based in metaphysics?

Essay Topic 3

There are a number of major woman characters in LILITH. Discuss the following:

1. Compare/contrast Lilith to Eve. How are they alike? How are they different? Who seems more authentic? Who seems wiser? Stronger? More likable?

2. Compare/contrast the two personalities of the woman first called "Cat-Woman" and then later she calls herself Mara.

3. Discuss how you think MacDonald views women from how he portrays them in LILITH. Does he see them as one-dimensional? Complex? Either good or evil (nothing in between). As equal to men? Superior or inferior to men?

(see the answer keys)

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