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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 Christian do to try and save himself?

2. What are Sloth, Simple, and Presumption doing when Christian sees them?

3. What does Talkative tell Faithful and Christian?

4. Who protects Christian from the arrows of the Devil?

5. What do Christian and Hopeful do with Atheist?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Evangelist tell Christian about Worldly Wiseman and what does Christian ask Evangelist? What is Evangelist’s answer to Christian’s question?

2. Whom do Christian and Hopeful meet after Christian leaves Vanity?

3. How does Christian get out of the river? Who meets them on the other side?Where do they go?

4. What does Christian pass on his way through the valley and what does he do about it?

5. Where do Christian and Hopeful get confused and who leads them away?

6. How does Christian meet Goodwill and what does Goodwill do for Christian?

7. Where do Christian and Hopeful go after leaving the Enchanted Ground and where is it in relation to Celestial City?

8. Into what do Christian and Pliable accidentally walk and what is the outcome of that accident?

9. Where does Christian go from the valley in question 10 and what is bad about it?

10. What do the shepherds show Christian and Hopeful?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Setting is a literary element with many qualities: It can establish mood, tone, and circumstances. It can also contribute directly to a novel's plot. Discuss one of the following regarding setting in The Pilgrim's Progress:

1. Thoroughly analyze how the setting informs the plot in The Pilgrim’s Progress.

2. In what ways does the author employ symbolism and imagery in his depictions of the settings in the narrative? What do the settings themselves represent symbolically or metaphorically?

3. What themes are developed through the author's depictions of settings in The Pilgrim's Progress? How are they developed?

Essay Topic 2

Often, authors will write about "what they know," and sometimes knowing a little about the author makes the books more interesting. Discuss the following:

1. Give a brief biographical sketch of John Bunyan. When and where was he born? Where was he educated?

2. What in Bunyan's background may have helped in writing The Pilgrim’s Progress? What may have influenced the way he depicts various characters and scenes?

3. Name one idea/concept you think may have been a part of Bunyan's agenda in writing The Pilgrim's Progress. Analyze the idea as presented throughout the book.

Essay Topic 3

Narrative structure refers to a novel's structural framework and the order and manner in which a story is presented to a reader. Answer and discuss the following regarding the narrative structure of The Pilgrim's Progress.

1. Write a brief synopsis of the plot of The Pilgrim’s Progress, identifying where the various elements of the plot occur (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution or denouement). Do you find it difficult or easy to identify the plot elements of this novel? Why?

2. Identify and discuss the major sub-plots and their elements in The Pilgrim’s Progress. (The subplots may not contain every element of a major plot.) Do the sub-plots contribute to the main plot? Are the sub-plots interesting in and of themselves? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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