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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. How does Merton describe his fellow students in France?

2. Who is Owen Merton?

3. Of which place in St. Antonin does Merton have unpleasant memories?

4. What is aseitas?

5. What lessens Merton's fear of Catholicism?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was important for Merton to find in a teacher?

2. How does Merton handle his spiritual condition upon returning from Cuba?

3. What finally influences Merton to try to join the priesthood?

4. What does the image of John Paul waving from the car suggest to Merton?

5. Why was Merton's participation with student publications so satisfying to him?

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

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

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

9. What important event takes place after Merton's acceptance into the monastery?

10. Does Merton follow the advice given to him by Van Doren in Part 3, Chapter 3?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Merton volunteers at Friendship House to work with the poor in Harlem, and he finds a sense of belonging among the people there. He says they "loved Christ so much that they seemed to see Him." In spite of this feeling, Merton ultimately choose a religious vocation that separates him from people. Discuss the reasons your think Merton made this choice and give examples from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Merton experienced times of unhappiness during his childhood. What experiences described in the book show that Merton was sometimes unhappy as a child? Discuss the impact of these childhood experiences on Merton's later life.

Essay Topic 3

Thomas Merton's mother died when he and his brother were young children. How did his mother's death impact Merton? What his reaction to her death different than that of his brother? His father? Do you think her death changed Owen Merton's life and the relationship he had with his sons?

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