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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. The people of the Highlands are known as a _______ society.

2. The author asserts that the Anglican literature and the ______ Bible kept the Welsh language from decay.

3. In 1773, _______ of Balenau published a book of medieval Welsh poetry that revived interest in the Welsh language.

4. The book asserts that traditions are invented when old ____ forms are deliberately not used or adapted.

5. According to the book, _______ of old traditions is one of the causes of the invention of traditions.

Short Essay Questions

1. What did James Macpherson do in order to help invent the history of the Scottish people?

2. Who does the book uncover the Scots to be, unlike what many people today think of the Scottish people?

3. What did Welsh scholars and patriots rediscover about their past as they began to notice interest declining?

4. Where can exceptions to traditions be found, though some traditions have filled in the space abandoned by secular decline?

5. What are the three aspects of invented tradition that serve to keep it in place, according to this manuscript?

6. What are the three different types of invented traditions, according to the book?

7. What is the difference between traditions, customs, and routines, according to the book?

8. Who are the three individuals mentioned by the author as being helpful for inventing a distinct history?

9. Why should historians be more aware of the tradition phenomena that occurs in modern society?

10. Why was it surprising that the Welsh cultural life was beginning to fall apart in the eighteenth to early nineteenth century?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The concept of an invented tradition might be new to you, since this is something which is rarely discussed.

Part 1: Do you agree that some traditions are invented?

Part 2: How do you feel about the idea that some traditions that are held sacred were invented for less than positive reasons?

Part 3: Why do you think invented traditions continue to be born today?

Essay Topic 2

Nostalgia seems to be interwoven with the idea of tradition. That is, people who long for the past will honor traditions more readily.

Part 1: How might you define the idea of nostalgia today?

Part 2: Why do you think many people long to be a part of the past instead of looking toward the future?

Part 3: Are there some people who are more likely to be nostalgic than others? Who might these people include?

Essay Topic 3

In many cases, the invented traditions were proliferated by societies in order to increase their validity.

Part 1: Do you think that invented traditions are being spread today?

Part 2: Why do you think it was important for certain groups to push for certain traditions?

Part 3: How might you push your own agenda if you wanted a certain tradition to become the normal way of life?

(see the answer keys)

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