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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. How do the rats appear in "[Dream]"?
(a) Scratching in the walls.
(b) Crawling in ditches.
(c) Hanging by their tails.
(d) Swimming in the bilge.

2. Where did "[Dream]" originate?
(a) In Bataille's imagination.
(b) In Bataille's childhood obsession with eyes.
(c) In Bataille's marriage.
(d) In Bataille's psychoanalysis.

3. What characterizes man in "The Eye"?
(a) Horror of eyes and insects.
(b) Desire for violence and violation.
(c) Longing for purity.
(d) Longing for sacrilege.

4. What does standing upright do for man in "The Big Toe"?
(a) Distorts his vision with unnatural ideas.
(b) Raises his head to the heavens.
(c) Lets him see things clearer.
(d) Hides his anus.

5. What was Bataille being punished for in "[Dream]"?
(a) Seeing his parents naked.
(b) Playing with a hoop.
(c) Staying up too late.
(d) Wetting himself.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Bataille say conspicuous consumption was used for?

2. How does Bataille describe his work?

3. How did Bataille rebel against his father?

4. What does the title of "The Solar Anus" refer to?

5. What did Bataille describe in "The Lugubrious Game"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What experience does Bataille elevate in "Rotten Sun"?

2. How was Bataille's first book received?

3. What does Bataille say about 'freaks' in "The Deviations of Nature"?

4. How would you characterize Bataille's thoughts on society and economy?

5. How does Bataille describe his role in "The Jesuve"?

6. What was Bataille's objection to Nietzsche?

7. What claim did Bataille make in "The Lugubrious Game"?

8. Describe the change in Bataille's early work to his more mature work and values.

9. What is expressed in the language of flowers in "The Language of Flowers"?

10. Describe the importance of myth in Bataille's writing and thinking.

(see the answer keys)

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