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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. According to Brooks, what did Augustine seem to believe humans were not capable of?

2. Who offered to marry Rustin?

3. What job did Marshall take right after the end of WWII, even though he did not really want it?

4. What was George Eliot's given name at birth?

5. What did writer George Eliot say a human life should be well-rooted in?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Marshall win over his classmates at VMI?

2. What was the surprising outcome of Marshall's tense encounter with General Pershing in 1917?

3. What request did Marshall make for his funeral arrangements?

4. What significant event during the Civil Rights era did Rustin help to organize and execute?

5. What kinds of romantic relationships characterized Eliot's years as a young woman?

6. What kind of devotion dominated Eliot's teenage years?

7. What job did Marshall take in 1945 that he did not necessarily want but felt he had a responsibility to accept?

8. As a young woman, what causes a large rift between Eliot and her father?

9. What kind of attitude did Marshall have towards institutions, according to Brooks?

10. What was Augustine's relationship with his mother like?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay comparing and contrasting the writers Samuel Johnson and Michel de Montaigne. How does each man embody and reflect the tenants of humanism?

Essay Topic 2

How has the definition of both the word and larger idea of sin changed from the eighteenth century to today, in Brooks' estimation? Write an essay explaining your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Why does Brooks think that the common commencement address advice for graduates to follow their passion is flawed? Write an essay explaining your answer, citing specific references to the text to support your arguments (21).

(see the answer keys)

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