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

Short Answer Questions

1. How did the practice of nunnery change in the early church?

2. Who received Letter 9?

3. What should the practice of silence result in, according to Abelard?

4. For what is Heloise arguing in Letter 6?

5. What does Heloise say in Letter 6 that she cannot make herself do?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Evaluate the opposition Abelard and Heloise faced throughout their marriage. How would you characterize their enemies? What were they bent on, and why did they oppose Abelard and Heloise? Why did they take the tactics they took, in opposing them? What made harsher or more lenient tactics less preferable?

Essay Topic 2

What is the effect of the letters between Abelard and Heloise? Describe the consequences of their correspondence, in terms of their own lives, and in terms of the lives of the monks and nuns they knew, and in terms of the monastic order.

Essay Topic 3

Define the role of class status in The Letters of Abelard and Heloise. In what ways does Abelard and Heloise's class status affect their story? How would this story be different if they were poor from the outset?

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