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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. Who, in Gurdjieff's opinion, invents the grammar of languages?

2. What was the title of the introduction Gurdjieff had originally planned for the thirtieth book?

3. How did Gurdjieff view his father?

4. How did Gurdjieff and Pogossian secure passage on a ship to Egypt?

5. What did the Yezidis believe?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Father Borsh, Gurdjieff's first tutor, think of the experiment in spiritualism using the table?

2. Who were the Imastun brethren?

3. What was Gurdjieff's father's view on the aim of life?

4. What is Gurdjieff's criticism of contemporary journalism?

5. What is a gornakh?

6. What did Father Borsh do sometimes for a rest?

7. Why did Gurdjieff go to Alexandropol?

8. Which two animals does Gurdjieff think each man should embody and why?

9. What was the relationship between Gurdjieff's father and Dean Borsh?

10. What does Gurdjieff criticize contemporary people for and why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

1) Describe prince Lubovedsky, What event makes him interested in spiritualism?

2) Where does Gurdjieff meet prince Lubovedsky? What possession do they have in common? Are they the same age? If not, is the prince older or younger and by how many years?

3) Who is Vitvitskaia? Describe her story briefly. What does prince Lubovedsky ask Gurdjieff to do for Vitvitskaia?

4) Choose one of the three topics and write about it.

Essay Topic 2

1) Who is Abram Yelov, what does he do and where does Gurdjieff meet him? What do they have in common?

2) Describe Abram Yelov and the Aisor people he comes from.

3) What scheme for making money does Gurdjieff come up with in Tiflis? Do you think it was moral of Gurdjieff to carry out that scheme for making money?

4) Choose one of the above topics to write on.

Essay Topic 3

1) Describe the anecdote Gurdjieff tells entitled "The Conversation of the Two Sparrows". What is the lesson contained in the anecdote?

2) What did Gurdjieff think were the shortcomings of the contemporary literature of his day?

3) Recount the story of the family who died from eating poison sausages. Who caused that tragedy and how?

4) Choose one of the above questions and answer it in as much detail as possible.

(see the answer keys)

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