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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who is "Destruction" in the "Burial Hymn"?
(a) Karma.
(b) Indra's sister.
(c) The female personification of disorder.
(d) The male personification of evil.

2. What word denotes mankind, the eponymous ancestor of mankind, or the brother of Yama?
(a) Amnis.
(b) Marut.
(c) Varut.
(d) Manu.

3. All fires die out when Siva is wrongly accused in "The Birth of Agni" and he departs from the _____.
(a) Gray Mountains.
(b) Pine Forests.
(c) Black Hills.
(d) High Desert.

4. Savitr is the _____ and the embodiment of twilight.
(a) Sacred sage.
(b) Divine obstetrician.
(c) Indoctinated ally of Indra.
(d) Holy sepulchre.

5. At the end of "The Birth of Agni", what does Agni turn into?
(a) A frog.
(b) A bull.
(c) A demon.
(d) A horse.

6. Who eats the flesh of the sacrificed horse?
(a) Poets.
(b) Dogs.
(c) Women.
(d) Priests.

7. How many shafts does the chariot have in "The Boy and the Chariot"?
(a) Seven.
(b) Three.
(c) None.
(d) One.

8. Vena is the seer identified with the _____.
(a) Chariot.
(b) Planet Venus.
(c) Sunbird.
(d) Soma.

9. How many people restrain the horse of Tvastr during sacrifice?
(a) Two.
(b) Eight.
(c) Four.
(d) Ten.

10. The Vasus are a group of gods associated with _____.
(a) The crops.
(b) The sun.
(c) The moon.
(d) The horses.

11. The Soma stalk mixes with water to form the juice of _____.
(a) Death.
(b) Nothingness.
(c) Learning.
(d) Immortality.

12. The Invoker is what type of priest in "The Sacrifice of the Horse"?
(a) All-maker.
(b) Hotr.
(c) Yaman.
(d) Brahmin.

13. Who carries Indra to heaven to bring Soma to men and gods?
(a) A donkey.
(b) A raven.
(c) A horse.
(d) An eagle.

14. Varuna and Mitra are keepers of the _____.
(a) Moral law.
(b) Soma.
(c) Sticks.
(d) Pressing stones.

15. What word is often identified with the soul?
(a) Water.
(b) Fire.
(c) Sound.
(d) Breath.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is the beloved grey priest?

2. What are the four social classes in Indian civilization called?

3. How many corners does the earth have in "A Spell to Turn Back the Departing Spirit"?

4. The traditional _____ in the Rig Veda is the tale of the king and the priest.

5. What is the center of the wheel in the "All-Maker" myth called?

(see the answer keys)

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