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

2. Who is the mother of the sun?
(a) Dusk.
(b) Love.
(c) Dawn.
(d) Fire.

3. An Asura is a form of high ____.
(a) Devotion.
(b) Divinity.
(c) Catechism.
(d) Priesthood.

4. How many corners does the earth have in "A Spell to Turn Back the Departing Spirit"?
(a) Four.
(b) Two.
(c) Three.
(d) One.

5. The word for heart mind and life-spirit is _____.
(a) Coeur.
(b) Manas.
(c) Hama.
(d) Karma.

Short Answer Questions

1. In the hymn, "In Praise of Generosity", fortune is described as _____.

2. The Maruts are referred to as _____ in "The Cows in the Cave".

3. Vivavsan is a name for the _____.

4. The mane of a horse is a metaphor for what?

5. Max Muller dubs the unknown god _____.

Short Essay Questions

1. Who are the Asuras in the beginning of the Vedas, as opposed to their role toward the end?

2. 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?

3. What is the actual content of the secret in "The Mystery of Agni"?

4. What are the first ritual laws called, and what is their purpose?

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

6. 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?

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

8. What is meant by the "mist" metaphor in "Aditi and the Birth of the Gods"?

9. What is the function of the goat in "The Funeral Fire"?

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

(see the answer keys)

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