View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where does Teresa say her words come from?

2. What is the simile of the soul's remaining willing and receptive so that God will shape her into a selfless lover?

3. What is a second metaphor of spiritual consolation?

4. How does Teresa say God views the potential bride?

5. In the early chambers of the Fifth Dwelling, what must the supplicant do?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Teresa's view of the company she should keep.

2. How does Teresa define spiritual consolations?

3. In what way does Teresa say a sister can insure her devotion to God?

4. How does Teresa say a seeker will know if she is truly humble?

5. How does Teresa describe the Prayer of Union?

6. How has Teresa handled fear and weakness on her part in the past?

7. What does Teresa have to say about expectations and rewards for service to God?

8. What lament does Teresa offer for those who never experience a relationship with God?

9. Describe briefly the trial that accompanies arrival in the Sixth Dwelling.

10. Explain how the seeker receives the spiritual sweetness.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay on Teresa's imagery, metaphors, and analogies. In your essay state your opinion as to whether she uses these devices too much or if they make her points more understandable. Point out the limits to any comparison by showing examples from the book.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay comparing Teresa with Joan of Arc who was burned at the stake for hearing voices giving her instruction for liberating her people. Teresa skirts that same issue in her book by warning her sisters to be careful about telling their mystic experiences to others and by her relief that her instruction now comes more quietly and less often in public. In your essay show how reaction to mysticism has historically been marked by superstition and prejudice.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay about obedience. Use Teresa's insistence on being obedient to her spiritual advisers and superiors. In your essay either defend the idea of religious obedience or offer your objections to the idea. This is not an essay that has a right answer or a wrong one. It is your opinion and, therefore, cannot be wrong. The essay is marked on how well you present your case.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 878 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample