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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 do the shepherds say about the mountains in question 61?

2. What is located at the Lucre Hill?

3. How does Ignorance say he got on the path when he meets Christian?

4. What does Atheist tell Christian and Hopeful?

5. What is wrong with the giant named Pope?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do the shepherds show Christian and Hopeful?

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

3. What does Hopeful say about his own life?

4. What does Worldly wise suggest to Christian and how does that turn out?

5. Where do Christian and Hopeful go after they leave the castle?

6. What does Talkative tell Christian and Faithful and what does Christian say about Talkative? What does Faithful say once he understands Talkative?

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

8. What is at the top of the mountain? Who is there?What do they ask Christian?

9. Who do Christian and Hopeful meet after they leave the shepherds? What does that person say to them?What is Christian’s response?

10. What story does Christian tell Hopeful and the person in question 23?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

As a Christian allegory, The Pilgrim's Progress demonstrates a number of literary devices such as metaphors, similes, foreshadowing, etc. Discus the following:

1. Choose two significant symbols and trace and analyze their appearance in The Pilgrim’s Progress. Are these universal symbols? Would they be understood in any culture? Are there other symbols that would portray the same idea? What are they? Why do you think Bunyan chooses the symbols he does?

2. Choose two important metaphors and trace and analyze their appearance in the novel. Are these universal metaphors? Would they be understood in any culture? Why do you think Bunyan chooses the metaphors she does?

3. Discuss Bunyan's use (or lack) of literary device (such as foreshadowing, cliffhangers, deux ex machina, etc...), and how they add or detract from the story. Does Bunyan use too many or too little literary techniques? State which of the five major elements of fiction the literary device is related to (style, character, plot, setting, and theme).

Essay Topic 2

When Christian leaves the Valley of the Shadow of Death, he sees the caves of Pope and Pagan, both of which are dead or dying. The Pagan represents the European religions that predate Christianity while the Pope represents the Catholic religion, which Christian, as a Protestant Englishman, has rejected. This same idea is repeated when Christian and Faithful reach Vanity Fair.

1. Discuss how the various religions of the world have produced conflict over doctrine. How are these conflicts illustrated in The Pilgrim’s Progress?

2. What do you see as the difficulties in a religion which has many different beliefs, depending on the sect? How does the author explore these difficulties in the novel?

3. Catholics have persecuted Protestants, and Protestants, when in power, have persecuted Catholics. Discuss how the anger and violence of religious conflict relates to the ultimate message of a loving God which the Christian faith espouses. Use examples from Pilgrim’s Progress to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Titles often play a vital role in making a person decide to read a particular book. Discuss the following:

1. Fully explain why you think The Pilgrim’s Progress is titled as such. Do you think it is the best title for the book? Why or why not? Can you think of a better title? Why would you choose it?

2. Do you think a title needs to have direct relevance to a book's content? Does the title of The Pilgrim's Progress directly relate to its contents? If so, how? If not, how might the title change to reflect its content?

3. Why do you think the author of The Pilgrim's Progress has chosen not to delineate chapters by title names in this novel? If you were to title the chapters of the book, how would you do so?

(see the answer keys)

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