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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What error does Merton think Protestants commit?
(a) They are too focused on financial issues.
(b) They share too much of their personal lives when talking.
(c) They do not spend time talking with other faiths.
(d) They do not talk enough about God and religion.

2. What does Merton love about America?
(a) Its wealth and power.
(b) Its ideals and work ethic.
(c) Its cultural life.
(d) Its geography and landscapes.

3. When was Thomas Merton born?
(a) February 14, 1925.
(b) January 31, 1915.
(c) January 22, 1935.
(d) January 31, 1950.

4. What does Merton like about France?
(a) The weather.
(b) The school he attended there.
(c) Its beauty and its simple people.
(d) Its museums.

5. What is the "sign of the Water Bearer"?
(a) The symbol for the month of January.
(b) Merton's astrological birth sign of Aquarius.
(c) The name of his father's art gallery.
(d) An advertisement for a hotel.

Short Answer Questions

1. When was Merton's brother born?

2. What did Owen ask Merton to do for him while he was ill?

3. What did Pop do that embarrassed Merton?

4. What does Merton admire about Mark Van Doren?

5. What did Pop allow the 15-year-old Merton to do that really impressed him?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Merton love the "fourth floor" at Columbia?

2. Why might Merton have been embarrassed by his grandfather's visit to France?

3. What is the significance of a book Merton purchased at Scribner's?

4. What does Merton gain during his summer in Olean?

5. After the death of his father, why does Merton consider himself to be a rebel in New York?

6. Describe some of the things that Merton loves about France.

7. What are some of the internal struggles Merton faces in Part 1, Chapter 3?

8. How does Merton describe his relationships with women in his book?

9. What worries does Merton have about his desire to write?

10. Why does the Abbot accept Merton into Gethsemani?

(see the answer keys)

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