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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which saint becomes important to Merton when he receives the Baronness' advice?
(a) St. Therese of Lisieux.
(b) St. Brigid of Ireland.
(c) St. Catherine of Siena.
(d) St. Mary of Gethsemani.

2. Who suggests that Merton withdraw his application for the novitiate?
(a) Dan Walsh.
(b) Bob Lax.
(c) Ed Rice.
(d) Father Edmund.

3. What do Merton and his friends do in Olean?
(a) They have an automobile accident.
(b) They study drama and religion.
(c) They play team sports.
(d) They develop a monastery-like environment.

4. What does Merton remember when saying goodbye to his brother after his baptism?
(a) Their childhood relationship.
(b) Their relatives in Canada.
(c) Their parents.
(d) The places they lived.

5. Why can Merton register for the draft as a conscientious objector?
(a) Because he has a letter from the abbot defining him as such.
(b) Because he argues for that position.
(c) Because he teaches his students about peace.
(d) Because he is a religious with plans to enter a monastery.

6. What did Merton and his friends grow in Olean?
(a) They all grew beards.
(b) They grew their hair long.
(c) They grew a vegetable garden.
(d) They grew wheat.

7. What medical emergency does Merton experience while waiting to enter a monastery?
(a) He has serious stomach trouble and ulcers.
(b) He has an abcessed tooth extracted.
(c) He breaks his arm and must remain in a cast for months.
(d) He gets appendicitis and has surgery.

8. Who is Dan Walsh?
(a) A monk Merton meets.
(b) A priest who takes Merton's confession.
(c) A professor respected by Merton.
(d) A professor Merton doesn't like.

9. When does Merton plan to make a retreat at Gethsemani when writing to the Abbott?
(a) In the following year.
(b) At Easter.
(c) At Christmas.
(d) In September.

10. What were growing interests for Merton in Olean?
(a) Sports and writing
(b) Teaching and journalism.
(c) Asceticism and contemplation.
(d) Philosophy and religion.

11. What impact does Catherine de Hueck have on Merton?
(a) Her calling to become a nun makes him envious.
(b) Her wealth influences him.
(c) Her belief he should leave the priesthood angers him.
(d) She inspires him with her work among the poor.

12. Why does Merton register for the draft in the way that he does?
(a) He is morally opposed to war.
(b) He opposes the methods of warfare.
(c) He follows the advice of his religious teachers.
(d) He wants to gain attention and fame.

13. Where does Merton make a retreat during Easter?
(a) To a cabin in upstate New York.
(b) Our Lady of Gethsemani.
(c) Our Lady of Corpus Christi.
(d) Our Lady of Mt. Zion.

14. What is Merton afraid to tell anyone when he is teaching at St. Bonaventure?
(a) About his experiences overseas.
(b) That he stills yearns to be a monk.
(c) The condition of his teeth.
(d) His deepest and darkest sins.

15. What is Our Lady of Gethsemani?
(a) A statue in a church.
(b) A church in New York.
(c) A monastery in Ohio.
(d) A monastery in Kentucky.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is Friendship House?

2. Where does Merton get a job as a teacher?

3. What does Merton see as his vocation while he is in Olean?

4. Where is Olean?

5. Where is Merton's brother sent while Thomas is joining the monastery?

(see the answer keys)

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