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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

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

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

3. The horses of Indra in "The Sacrifice of the Horse" are _____.
(a) Two dapple grays.
(b) Two bay stallions.
(c) Two grey donkeys.
(d) Two roan mares.

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

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

Short Answer Questions

1. The daughter of the sun is the _____ of Soma.

2. How many of the horse's thirty-six ribs are distributed to the universe in ritual sacrifice?

3. What is symbolic of primeval chaotic matter, the seed of the creator, and the sacrificial oblation?

4. How many wheels does the chariot have in "The Boy and the Chariot"?

5. 'Dhruvam' means _____.

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the hymn, "The Sacrificial Priests", liken the work of the priests to? How?

2. What is the state of clarity of the early stages of creation in "The All-maker", according to the author, and why?

3. What is the function of the enclosing-sticks in "The Hymn of Man" as opposed to the fuel-sticks?

4. How is butter visualized in the hymn, "Butter"?

5. In "Aditi and the Birth of the Gods", what does the author think is meant by the poet's seeing the birth of the gods?

6. Who eats from the tree of knowledge in "The Riddle of the Sacrifice", and what does this mean?

7. What is the meaning of the use of hunger in "In praise of Generosity"?

8. What is the role of the goat in "The Sacrifice of the Horse" and for whom does it do this?

9. Who are the Angirases and with whom are they often linked?

10. What is the back story about the priest of the oblation's getting angry in "The Birth of Agni", and what does the priest do that is mentioned in this hymn?

(see the answer keys)

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