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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 Heloise say about herself?

2. Where did Abelard study?

3. What does Heloise say is Abelard's relation with her now?

4. In Letter 4, for what does Heloise say she is grateful?

5. What does Heloise doubt about Abelard?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Heloise close Letter 2 to Abelard?

2. What intercession does the author of Letter 9 want to make?

3. What does Heloise say she did on Abelard's sake?

4. Why does Abelard say in Letter 5 he filled Heloise with distress in his previous letter?

5. What stance does Abelard take in Letter 5?

6. What is Heloise's response to Peter the Venerable?

7. What does Abelard say is the purpose of monastic life?

8. How is Letter 7 organized?

9. Why does Abelard say he was avoiding contact with Heloise?

10. Why does the author of Letter 9 say Abelard retreated to Cluny?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Make an annotated timeline that shows the events that led up to the story Abelard and Heloise relate between themselves. What other events were taking place in the world around Abelard and Heloise at this time?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the benefits of the Rules Abelard prescribes for Heloise and her nuns. What are the direct and indirect benefits of the Rules? Who benefits by them? How are the benefits reckoned, and are there other ways to look at the virtues of the Rules?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the letters between Abelard and Heloise and describe the degree to which Abelard and Heloise are French. What constitutes their Frenchness? Where is the site of their strongest identification? How do they express their relation to territory?

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