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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. The author calls the unknown god the _____.

2. The word for heart mind and life-spirit is _____.

3. Who is the mother of the sun?

4. What animal joins the horse in sacrifice?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. How are Agni and Soma linked?

2. In the hymn "The Child of the Waters", what do the three women give to the deity, and why?

3. What is the sacrificial horse identified with?

4. What is the nature of the 'child of the waters' and how does this relate to Agni?

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

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

7. What is the sacred grass in "The Hymn of Man" and what is it used for?

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

9. In "The Creation of the Sacrifice", what is the significance of weaving?

10. Who are the three brothers in "The Riddle of the Sacrifice" and with whom are they associated in the text?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Where does Speech come from? What is its importance? How is speech personified in the hymn, "Speech"?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the relationship between male and female characters in the Rig Veda. Do females have an equal role in the texts? Who is the female counterpart to Yama and what is she known for? Do females invoke the gods? How are female characters voiced?

Essay Topic 3

How is Parjanya personified? What is paradoxical about the way he is personified in "Parjanya, the Cow'?

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