View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Saryanavat is the name of the _____ where Soma plants are found.

2. Who are the 'ancient ones' in "The Boy and the Chariot"?

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

4. What is the name of the ancient sage to whom "Requiem for a Horse" is attributed?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What is the distinction between food that is for the gods and food that is for the dead fathers?

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

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

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 are the the three forms of speech highlighted in the hymn, "Speech", and what do they represent?

8. How are Agni and Soma linked?

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

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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There are many metaphors for the sun in the Rig Veda. Find examples of these and explain how they are used. The sun itself is a metaphor for which gods? Cite examples.

Essay Topic 2

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

Essay Topic 3

Explain the meaning of "Hiranyagarbha". What are the different meanings of the separate parts of the word? What is the symbolism contained in the word?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 722 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample