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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 title of the anecdote Gurdjieff uses to show the inferiority of modern life to ancient wisdom showing that modern life and literature are poison to the human race.

2. What was Father Borsh's view about a youth before he attained adulthood?

3. Besides having an accident with a firearm, what other prediction of the fortuneteller came true about Gurdjieff?

4. What was awakened in Gurdjieff while listening to Bogachevsky and his friends' discussions around the samovar?

5. Where did the second contest that Gurdjieff witnessed take place?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Gurdjieff and Pogossian become good friends?

2. Describe Father Borsh.

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

4. Why did Gurdjieff go to Alexandropol?

5. When and where did Gurdjieff meet Pogossian?

6. What did Father Borsh devote his spare time to?

7. What are Gurdjiefff's thoughts on the grammars of different languages, who composes them and alters them?

8. How did Gurdjieff happen to see the famous ashokhs of those days?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

1) What are some of the devices the Seeker of the Truth comes up with in order to cross the Gobi desert?

2) Where does Soloviev die and how?

3) Who is Ekim Bey, where does Gurdjieff meet him?

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

Essay Topic 2

1) Describe Abram Yelov: his physical appearance, his peculiarities and his relationship with his parents and friends.

2) What eventually happens to Yelov? How does he become wealthy? How does he lose his fortune? Where does he finally settle?

3) What did Abram Yelov's father do for a living? What did his mother do?

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

Essay Topic 3

1) A school run by what Brotherhood do Gurdjieff and Pogossian decide to mount an expedition to find? Why?

2) What bites Pogossian, what does Gurdjieff do to save his life and where do they both find shelter?

3) What does Gurdjieff secretly make a copy of in the old Armenian priest's house? Why?

4) Choose one of these topics to write on.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 749 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample