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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 4 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. In the introductory section of his sermon, Edwards speaks of the works that God "wrought" (405). How is this word pronounced?

2. In the introduction of his sermon, what is the third thing Edwards says is true of the Israelites' destruction?

3. When, in the introductory section of his sermon, Edwards mentions the "cultivations of heaven," (405) to what is he referring?

4. In the introductory section of his sermon, Edwards speaks of the works that God "wrought" (405). What has God done with these works?

5. What was Edwards' usual manner of delivering a sermon?

Short Essay Questions

1. When Edwards preached his revised sermon to the Enfield Congregation, what was the reaction, and how did Edwards respond?

2. What does Edwards mean when he says the Israelites "under all the cultivations of heaven, brought forth bitter and poisonous fruit" (405)?

3. According to Edwards, what is the meaning of the Biblical passage that opens the sermon?

4. Summarize Edwards' four-part argument from the introductory section of his sermon.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain how the structure of the Awakening sermon creates a sense of approaching doom in Edwards' audience. How does the sermon gradually bring its "action" closer and closer to the audience?

Essay Topic 2

Choose a poem by Phillis Wheatley (her work is widely available online.) Explain how the poem exemplifies the ideas of the Great Awakening.

Essay Topic 3

Within the syllogistic logic of his sermon, Edwards also uses other types of argument. One of these is argument by analogy. What this means is that Edwards claims that the situation of the sinner is like another situation, and therefore what happens in the second situation will also happen to the sinner. Find an argument by analogy in this sermon, and write an essay in which you both explain and critique Edwards' analogy.

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