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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 does Twain do one year after the excursion?

2. What is the first Asian city of biblical interest?

3. What time do the guards wake the travelers to start the trip to Jordan?

4. Where do the travelers swim?

5. What do the pilgrims hand out in Magdala?

Short Essay Questions

1. The men come upon young Jack on the verge of destroying an innocent turtle. What is Jack's issue with the turtle, and what does that tell you about Jack's personality?

2. Twain and his friends are sure they are going to run into problems finding enough provisions for their trip to Damascus. What happens while their are in Lebanon to change their minds?

3. Twain finds himself quoting the writer of "Life in the Holy Land" referring to Palestine as monotonous and uninviting. However, Twain also offers his own description of Palestine. How does he feel about the area?

4. As the caravan gets closer to Baalbek, Twain begins to tell relevant stories from the Bible. What stories does Twain relate, and how does he feel about the Syrians at this point in the story?

5. Twain and the group have, to this point, been surrounded by foreigners with nothing to gain from the group but their money. Their experience with the Russians is happily different. What happens to make the group feel this way?

6. Twain's caravan stops at a fountain for a rest period on its way to Damascus. What observation does Twain make at this fountain, and how does it make him feel?

7. Describe the scene of the journey to Mary Magdalene's former home in the tiny, extremely impoverished village of Magdala. How do you think the group feels once it has seen Mary's home and is on its way out?

8. What are some of the challenges faced by Twain and his friends when trying to guide their donkeys to Ephesus?

9. The group finally reaches Damascus. How do the citizens of Damascus feel about Christians and why?

10. Twain notices something about the Russian emperor during their visit that makes the emperor appear even move down to earth and human. What does Twain notice?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Twain's attitude toward the beggars, who seem to be everywhere, comes across as that of disdain rather than pity. He is disgusted by them, yet we hear few words of commiseration. What about the time Twain lived in encouraged this type of attitude toward the poor? What does Twain say that illustrates his attitude toward the beggars?

Essay Topic 2

In Smyrna, the group is confronted with a high hill awash with oyster shells and broken pottery. This appears to be an incredible source of consternation for Twain. Why do you think he obsesses so heavily over the origin of these objects so out of context? Do you think he, himself, feels so out of place that he must find a reason for the shells and pottery to justify his reason for being there? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Recall Twain's reaction to the statue of a man without skin in Milan. What was his reaction to the statue? What triggered that reaction? What kind of trauma could be suffered by a boy of the age Twain was when he snuck into his father's office when exposed to what he was exposed to at that point? How do you think it affected Twain, given his personality as an adult?

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