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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. To Plutarch, what is the greatest human bond?
(a) Marriage.
(b) Friendship.
(c) The relationship between emperor and citizen.
(d) The relationship between brother and sister.

2. According to Montaigne, what is the source of the difference between men and women?
(a) Genetics.
(b) Divine intervention.
(c) Emotion.
(d) Custom and education.

3. What does "Pleasure Boat Studio" refer to?
(a) A studio in which Ou-Yank Hsiu loves to paint seascapes.
(b) A private place in the park by the pond.
(c) The nickname for a room in a governmental office.
(d) A ship that houses several prostitutes.

4. What kind of family background did Montaigne come from?
(a) His father was rich, but his mother came from a poor family.
(b) Montaigne came from a poor background.
(c) His mother was rich, but his father came from a poor family.
(d) Both his father and mother's families were well-off and prominent.

5. Beyond the Monstrous Child, who else is discussed in "Of a Monstrous Child?"
(a) A man in his thirties with no genitalia.
(b) A man who grows too much hair like a wolf.
(c) A man who claimed to see demons in his sleep.
(d) A woman who sleeps with men and then steals their money.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why is Plutarch consoling his wife in "Consolation to His Wife?"

2. How did Seneca die?

3. Why prompted Montaigne to retire from his career to pursue writing?

4. What attitude does Seneca have toward slaves in "Slaves?"

5. What is Richard Steele's message in his essay "Twenty-four Hours in London"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What philosophy of death does Plutarch advise in "Consolation to His Wife?"

2. What does Montaigne say in "Of a Monstrous Child" about things or people humans consider "monstrous?"

3. What idea sparks Montaigne to write after his first book is a success?

4. Why are Richard Steele and Joseph Addison so often presented as a literary pair, as they are in this volume?

5. What subjects are talked about in "On Some Verses of Virgil?"

6. What is the subject of Montaigne's "Of Books?"

7. What caused Michel de Montaigne to start writing?

8. To what extent were Charles Lamb's personal essays influenced by his family background? Describe that family background.

9. What is the subject of Abraham Cowley's "Of Greatness"? What point does Abraham Cowley make?

10. What was Michel de Montaigne's background prior to writing?

(see the answer keys)

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