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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Where did Merton spend his school holidays?
(a) With Owen in London.
(b) With his Aunt Maude.
(c) With Pop and Bonnemaman.
(d) With his godfather who was a doctor in London.

2. Why does Merton say he was "truly happy" in England?
(a) Because he is living in England.
(b) Because he has many friends.
(c) Because he is learning to play cricket.
(d) Because he is sincerely religious for the first time.

3. What does Merton miss when he left France for England?
(a) The churches.
(b) His house.
(c) The Lycee.
(d) The beauty of St. Antonin.

4. What did Pop allow the 15-year-old Merton to do that really impressed him?
(a) Pop allowed the 15-year-old Merton to smoke a cigarette.
(b) He allowed him to enjoy luxury travel.
(c) He allowed him to visit his father alone.
(d) He allowed him to drive his car.

5. What language is Merton required to learn in England?
(a) French.
(b) Greek.
(c) English.
(d) Latin.

6. Where does Merton attend his first Mass?
(a) At St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York.
(b) At Gethsemane in Kentucky.
(c) At St. John the Divine in New York.
(d) At the Church of Corpus Christi in New York.

7. What does Merton find disappointing about the pastor at Zion Church?
(a) He worries about the church's financial condition.
(b) He is more concerned with discussing modern literature and politics than God.
(c) He will not meet with Merton.
(d) He does not know Merton's father.

8. Who is Bob Lax?
(a) A Catholic man who leads Merton to the faith.
(b) A friend of Aunt Maude's from childhood.
(c) A friend of Merton's father who was a musician.
(d) A friend of Merton's who eventually becomes a Catholic.

9. What book leads Merton to review his opinion of Catholicism?
(a) The Spirit of Medieval Philosophy.
(b) Philosophy in Medieval Times.
(c) Catholics in Medieval Philosophy.
(d) The Philosophy of Catholics in the Middle Ages.

10. What university does Merton attend in New York?
(a) Harvard University.
(b) Cornell University.
(c) Hunter University.
(d) Columbia University.

11. Of which place in St. Antonin does Merton have unpleasant memories?
(a) The museum.
(b) The church.
(c) The Lycee.
(d) The countryside.

12. How does Thomas Merton feel about his father?
(a) Merton wants to be a perfectionist like him.
(b) Merton dislikes his father's job.
(c) Merton's father is his hero.
(d) Merton is critical of his behavior.

13. What impresses Merton about St. Antonin?
(a) The people he met there.
(b) It was in France.
(c) It was laid out in a circular shape in the 13th century.
(d) The house he lived in.

14. Who is Mark Van Doren?
(a) He is on Merton's running team.
(b) He is Merton's professor and trusted friend.
(c) He is Merton's friend and roommate.
(d) He is Merton's favorite priest.

15. Why does Merton go to class with the younger French children?
(a) He teaches them American games.
(b) He must learn the French language.
(c) He needs to change his attitude.
(d) He disciplines them.

Short Answer Questions

1. After graduating from college, what does Merton do?

2. What do the Columbia Review and the Spectator have in common?

3. What does Merton do during the summer he returned to New York after a trip to Rome?

4. What error does Merton think Protestants commit?

5. Where was Thomas Merton born?

(see the answer keys)

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