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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does the word 'tapas' mean?
(a) Cold.
(b) Death.
(c) Longing.
(d) Heat.

2. How many people slaughter the horse of Tvastr during sacrifice?
(a) Twelve.
(b) Twenty.
(c) One.
(d) Six.

3. 'Dhruvam' means _____.
(a) Steadfast.
(b) Loathing.
(c) Sacred.
(d) Sweet.

4. What are the human and demonic enemies of the invading Indo-Aryans?
(a) Agnus.
(b) Panis.
(c) Atmans.
(d) Saramas.

5. What are the instruments for ritual sometimes called?
(a) Storm elements.
(b) Weapons.
(c) Game tools.
(d) Machines.

6. The daughter of the sun is the _____ of Soma.
(a) Sister.
(b) Wife.
(c) Friend.
(d) Niece.

7. Who is a kavi?
(a) A poet or a saint.
(b) A guardian or keeper.
(c) A sacrifical martyr.
(d) A snake handler.

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

9. What animal joins the horse in sacrifice?
(a) A goat.
(b) A bird.
(c) A dog.
(d) A donkey.

10. What are the four social classes in Indian civilization called?
(a) Varnas.
(b) Fifes.
(c) Yamas.
(d) Sects.

11. Saryanavat is the name of the _____ where Soma plants are found.
(a) Plain.
(b) River.
(c) Marshes.
(d) Mountains.

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

13. What did Martanda's name originally mean in "Aditi and the Birth of the Gods"?
(a) Beholder.
(b) Keeper of the sun.
(c) Born of an egg.
(d) Eye of the sky.

14. How many wheels does the chariot have in "The Boy and the Chariot"?
(a) None.
(b) Three.
(c) Two.
(d) Four.

15. Indra splits open a _____ to release trapped cows.
(a) Boulder.
(b) Cave.
(c) Ocean.
(d) Giant egg.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is thought of as a symbol of rain and fertility?

2. What turns into a plant that is used as a substitute for the Soma plant in the hymn, "Soma and Indra and the Eagle"?

3. Varuna and Mitra are keepers of the _____.

4. "The Sacrificial Priests" is described as a kind of _____ for priests.

5. What work does the author think the "The Boy and the Chariot" might be the kernel of?

(see the answer keys)

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