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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 profession does one of the men Usbek meet claim to have in letter 46?

2. What do the society described in letters 10 to 14 do when their neighbors attack them?

3. What does Usbek hope will spread to the rest of the world from Europe?

4. Who are the gravest people according to letter 32?

5. Why does the head of the black eunuchs write Usbek in the 39th letter?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the republic result from according to Rica in Letter 125?

2. What is justice according to Usbek in letter 81?

3. Why do women gamble in France according to Usbek?

4. What people does Rica speak of in letter 48?

5. What does Usbek think of countries that allow discipline of children in letter 78?

6. What is affluence based on in Paris according to Rica?

7. What does Zelis do to her 7 year old daughter in letter 60?

8. What happens to the head eunuch in letter 141?

9. In letter 105, what does Usbek think is popular in Europe and who do they cater to?

10. How does Usbek see the resolution of the crisis between Persian and Armenians?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In Persian Letters, Montesquieu examines the importance of ritual and the pacification of the gods. In an essay, discuss what rituals may be intended to pacify the gods and why they are important to Muslims or those in other religions. Students should use quotes from the book and a secondary source to support their discussion and make sure they define ritual in their essay.

Essay Topic 2

Usbek discusses divergent effects that laws have on human behavior and how different cultures address diseases of the spirit. Discuss what behaviors may be considered divergent and affect the spirit and how Persian culture may address these differently than western Europeans.

Essay Topic 3

The Persian Letters uses satire to describe the travels of two Persian brothers, Usbek and Rica. In an essay, define satire and examine Montesquieu's use of satire in the novel and discuss how it benefits the story and character development.

(see the answer keys)

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