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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. Why does the Abbot withhold some information in ‘First Day’?

2. Where does Benno recommend William search in ‘Second Day’?

3. Why has William come to the monastery?

4. Who lives at the apostolic seat?

5. Who did Louis see as his allies?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Adso allowed to sit away from the novices in ‘First Day’?

2. Who originally translated the book?

3. Who is the Pope at the time of the events in the novel?

4. What does Berengar think he saw in ‘Second Day’?

5. Why is Jorge so unnerving?

6. How did the narrator originally lose his copy of the book?

7. What two things disappear from Venantius’s desk in ‘Second Day’?

8. How does Salvatore speak?

9. What is William’s first conclusion about Adso’s death?

10. When does Adso write his manuscript?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The abbot and William finally end up at odds with one another. Why does the abbot wish William to stop investigating and leave? Compare and contrast the two men’s characters and their ultimate fates.

Essay Topic 2

A variety of languages, from Provençal to English to Latin, are used throughout the book. What is the significance of language in the novel? How do the “Italians” separate themselves from the others, and why is this important? How might reading this text in translation help us? Why did Eco not translate certain parts of French, Latin, and other languages found in the text?

Essay Topic 3

Eco begins the novel with a note set in the twentieth century. What effect does this have on our experience of the book? How can this relate to the story itself? What meta-fictional elements does it tie in, and why are these important?

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