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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. What does the name Vena mean?

2. Asura is a _____ in early Vedic tradition, before he becomes a demon.

3. Who is the mother of the gods?

4. Who invokes the Asvins to help her find her husband?

5. In "Varuna Provoked to Anger", even _____ does not avert evil in the poet's estimation.

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the central image of the hymn, "Mudgala's Wife and the Bull in the Chariot", and how do their interpretations overlap?

2. What is the role of beauty in regards to women in the Rig Veda?

3. In "Indra and the Maruts", why does Indra mock the Maruts?

4. How is creation mythology presented in "Varuna Provoked to Anger"?

5. How is the phrase 'O, little mother' a triple entendre in "Indra and the Monkey"?

6. In the dialogue between Agastya and the Maruts in "Agastya and the Maruts", what is Agastya trying to do?

7. According to Indian theory, what happens to the sun during the rainy season?

8. Why is the Rig Veda described in "Realia" as worldly?

9. In "Varuna Provoked to Anger", what is the nature of Vasistha's sins toward Varuna?

10. What is the conflict present in all of the dialogues with women in the Rig Veda? Who succeeds, and who fails in this conflict?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does the author characterize the nature of the Rig Veda in the section entitled "Realia"? Why are the gods usually invoked? What is her opinion on the relationship between the ideas in the Rig Veda and the material world?

Essay Topic 2

What are the different types of oblation? Where and when are they presented, and by whom? Cite specific instances from the hymns.

Essay Topic 3

Describe how Soma is symbolic. What is it made from? What is its function? Who uses it? Why?

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