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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why was gaming very important in the Renaissance?
(a) Games represented another form of understanding the cycle of life.
(b) Games defined the distinction between social classes.
(c) Gaming reinforced the "official" ways of thinking.
(d) Gaming was deemed sinful and was forbidden by the Church.

2. In the Fourth Book, why does Villon set a trap for Tappecoue (or "Ticklepecker")?
(a) Tappecoue refused to lie to the king about Villon's sacrilege.
(b) Tappecoue refused to lend Villon vestments for his play.
(c) Tappecoue insulted Villon's family.
(d) Tappecoue stole a large sum of money from Villon.

3. What body part is most often used in grotesque caricatures of sexual potency?
(a) The nose.
(b) The torso.
(c) The hands.
(d) The feet.

4. What are examples of that which Bakhtin calls "cosmic terrors"?
(a) Violent beings from another universe.
(b) The sky, the sea, and natural disasters.
(c) Vengeful pagan deities.
(d) Atheists who insult and threaten God.

5. What are the languages involved in what Bakhtin terms the "triple linguistic process" of Rabelais' time?
(a) Medieval Latin, Middle French, and Middle German.
(b) Medieval Latin, Old French, and Middle French.
(c) Classic Latin, Medieval Latin, and vernacular French.
(d) Classic Latin, Middle French, and vernacular French.

Short Answer Questions

1. "The Treatise of Garcia of Toledo," which Bakhtin cites, is notable for:

2. At the beginning of Chapter 6, Bakhtin argues that Rabelais' entire novel exhibits a clear, general __________ thematic trend.

3. What does Bakhtin assert is evident in Rabelais' use of games that combine play and prophecy?

4. How is a "prophetic riddle" game carnivalesque in nature?

5. What happened to Rabelais after his novel was published?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the figure of "Gros Guillaume" and his significance to Rabelais' novel.

2. What is the significance of the figure of the androgyne in Rabelais' novel?

3. What is "cosmic fear," and how is it treated in Renaissance folk culture?

4. What is significant about the language in which Rabelais writes and the sources of many of his words?

5. Briefly describe the two opposing lines of thought in the "querelle des femmes."

6. How does Rabelais strengthen the exaggerated themes of his grotesque realism?

7. What is the significance of "cuckoldry," and how is it portrayed?

8. How does Rabelais construct the episode of Epistemon's resurrection and of his visions in the underworld?

9. What is the nature of the carnivalesque crowd in Rabelais' novel?

10. How do the Medieval and Renaissance pictures of the cosmos differ?

(see the answer keys)

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