1. In Rabelais' time, why was the meaning of debasement often ambivalent?
(a) Because the debased person may choose to deflect the debasement.
(b) Because the decaying or excretory organs are closely located to the regenerative genital organs.
(c) Because the head is quite separate from all the other parts of the body, spiritually and materially.
(d) Because the person saying the insult never means it seriously.

2. Mikhail Bakhtin is:
(a) A vocal Eastern Orthodox cleric.
(b) The most famous Russian writer ever.
(c) A fictional figure created to be the mouthpiece of an anonymous author.
(d) A somewhat mysterious but increasingly interesting literary figure.

3. How did Rabelais obtain the material for his writings?
(a) By attending many fairs and festivals and observing all the people there.
(b) By receiving a divine revelation.
(c) By studying manuscripts for long hours in monasteries.
(d) By interviewing thousands of market vendors.

4. Why was Rabelais linked so closely to the Lyon fairs?
(a) Rabelais was a chief organizer of these fairs.
(b) Rabelais was a performing clown for several years in these fairs.
(c) Lyon fairs represented one of the largest markets for publishing.
(d) The organizers of the fairs in Lyon banned Rabelais from attending them.

5. What was the reception of Rabelais' work in the eighteenth century?
(a) Other writers strove to emulate his style.
(b) His work was viewed as a revival of Classical writing.
(c) His work was viewed as unintelligible and barbaric.
(d) Other writers used his topics as a jumping-off point for their own works.