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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 real name of the Black Book?

2. What was the name of the university in which Angell taught?

3. What is the name of the town in which the story takes place?

4. What is the name of the narrator in Ubbo-Sathla?

5. Which group of scientists attempted to decipher the writing on the black stone?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Howard? What is Howard's main goal in the story?

2. Discuss the basic premise of The Hounds of Tindalos.

3. What does the narrator see during his night by the Black Stone?

4. Where does Paul Tregardis find the crystal in Ubbo-Sathla? What is Paul Tregardis' first impression of the crystal?

5. Tregardis is shocked by the explanation and quickly thinks about the Book of Eibon. What is the Book of Eibon? Why is it important?

6. The narrator found mention of the Black Stone in Von Junzt's work. What did Von Junzt write about the obelisk?

7. Who was Von Junzt? What was his claim to fame?

8. Tregardis approaches the dwarfish proprietor with the hopes of receiving an explanation and/or history about the stone. What does the proprietor say?

9. Describe John Carnby. What kind of work does he do? Where does he live? How is the house described?

10. How does Chalmers explain the existence of the Fourth Dimension to Frank?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Several characters throughout the book go insane after having an encounter with a specific object or entity. Examine the insanity of the characters. What makes each character go insane? What is the cause behind the personality shift? Is the person possessed or has he turned into an evil being? Does the person know he is going insane? What is the reaction of the people around the insane character? Is it possible to go insane from an encounter with a horrible entity? Can one be scared into insanity? Is there a treatment or cure? What happens to each character?

Essay Topic 2

In several stories, certain characters become possessed. In "Ubbo-Sathla," Paul Tregardis becomes possessed by the great wizard Zon Mezzamalech. In "The Shadow from the Steeple," Dr. Dexter becomes possessed after handling the Shining Trapezohedron. In "Rising with Surtsey," Julian Haughtree becomes possessed by a great, evil amorphous entity. Discuss possession. Do you believe possession is real? Explain. How can a person become possessed? How can someone tell if another is possessed? How did the characters change during and after the possession? What happens to the characters after they are possessed?

Essay Topic 3

"Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos" by H. P. Lovecraft centers on the legend of the Cthulhu. Examine the Cthulhu and the legends that surround the entities. Why are the Cthulhu referred to as the "Great Ones?" Where is R'lyeh? Why are characters warned to avoid the Cthulhu? What happens when certain characters ignore the warnings? What types of things do the Cthulhu do to humans? Do you believe that such an entity could or does exist? Also examine how the characters come to know about the Cthulhu. Discuss the sailors' tales about their encounters with the Great Ones.

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