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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is the name given to the cremation fire?
(a) Yama.
(b) Agni.
(c) Dharma.
(d) Aditi.

2. The author calls the unknown god the _____.
(a) Icarus of Antiquity.
(b) Golden Embryo.
(c) Sunray.
(d) Silver Serpent.

3. "The Sacrificial Priests" is described as a kind of _____ for priests.
(a) Love song.
(b) Lamenting.
(c) Work-song.
(d) Self-praise.

4. In the hymn, "In Praise of Generosity", fortune is described as _____.
(a) Fickle.
(b) Easy.
(c) Death.
(d) Freedom.

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

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

7. When Agni becomes priest, his _____ are both flame and prayer.
(a) Robes.
(b) Thoughts.
(c) Eyes.
(d) Arms.

8. The enemy of true speech in "The Origins of Sacred Speech" is said to have been the _____ of the author.
(a) Rival.
(b) Wife.
(c) Son.
(d) Best friend.

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

10. Who repairs the errors committed in the course of the horse sacrifice?
(a) Hotrs.
(b) Yaskas.
(c) Brahmins.
(d) Haruts.

11. Which word in the Rig Veda means 'to sprinkle'?
(a) Spray.
(b) Dust.
(c) Anoint.
(d) Descend.

12. What is the male element of the newborn sun or fire?
(a) Heat.
(b) Bones.
(c) The flames.
(d) Eyes.

13. The Rbhus are the _____ of the gods.
(a) Craftsmen.
(b) Housekeepers.
(c) Horsemen.
(d) Translators.

14. The traditional _____ in the Rig Veda is the tale of the king and the priest.
(a) Glamour.
(b) Gloss.
(c) Glue.
(d) Gale.

15. The mane of a horse is a metaphor for what?
(a) The crops in the fields.
(b) The love of Indra.
(c) The rays of the sun.
(d) The rain.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "We Have Drunk the Soma", Dawn harnesses _____ to her chariot to bring treasure to the singer of the hymn.

2. What does the word 'tapas' mean?

3. In the hymn "Yama and the Fathers", who is being told to go away from the burning-ground where they live?

4. Cows appear in the metaphors involving Soma as _____ or water.

5. What are said to have more powers than the Fathers in heaven?

(see the answer keys)

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