View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How did Merton's parents foster his love for the monastic life?
(a) They disliked anything they considered to be bourgeois.
(b) They encouraged him to be wealthy.
(c) They introduced him to monks.
(d) They bought him many things.

2. What class does Merton say is the best he ever took at college?
(a) A Shakespeare class.
(b) A philosophy class.
(c) A comparative religion class.
(d) A physical education class.

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

4. What words best describe Merton at the university?
(a) Athletic and social.
(b) Intellectual and contemplative.
(c) Romantic and in love.
(d) Religious and non-political.

5. Where did Merton's father receive medical treatment for his cancer?
(a) At home with a personal physician.
(b) At Durston Hospital in Scotland.
(c) At Middlesex Hospital in London.
(d) At a hospital in Paris.

Short Answer Questions

1. What university does Merton attend in New York?

2. What is one of the last things mentioned in Chapter 4 of Part 1?

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

4. What philosophy does Merton explore while at the university?

5. Why does Owen Merton travel so frequently?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Merton's reaction to having to withdraw his application to the monastery?

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

3. Why does Merton believe that going to church is not enough to fulfill his need for God?

4. Describe Merton's reaction to his brother's baptism.

5. How is it shown in Part 1, Chapter 3, that literature was important in Merton's life?

6. Why does Merton describe his visions of monastery cloisters?

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

8. How does his father set an example for Merton's later life?

9. What characterizes the life of Merton's parents?

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

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 699 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample