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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. ___________ figures are everywhere: in fire sacrifices, astral bodies, lightning, skin color, and some of the gods - Brahma, Mithra, and Dyaus Pitar.

2. Some scholars suggest that the influence of the Goddess only seems minor because the Goddess has ___________.

3. ___________ women cannot engage in business and are killed for losing their virginity before marriage, even if they were raped.

4. Females seem to invent not just agriculture, but also ______________, according to Stone's findings.

5. The mountain-god ___________ rapes the Goddess' daughter Ninlil who is later said to be his wife, according to older documentation.

Short Essay Questions

1. What do love poems of Egyptian times have to say about the Egyptian woman's role in the courtship with a man?

2. Describe the vanguard of the battle ax cultures, as Merlin Stone and others describe them.

3. Why does brother-sister marriage develop in Egyptian times, according to scholar Dr. Margaret Murray?

4. Why are Hebrew women supposed to be inferior to their neighbors, according to the Priest/archaeologist Roland de Vaux?

5. How does the mythological spouse begin to gain importance in the female-based world?

6. Who do women appear as in civil litigation during the times of the Egyptians, according to papyri?

7. How does male dominance begin to creep into once female-ruled societies?

8. How did Middle East societies look at the Goddess in their ancient times?

9. What is Eridu said to be the place of when it steps away from the Goddess religions?

10. What do surviving documents seem to suggest about the writings of priestly scribes during the time of the battle ax warriors?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The idea of marriage is a slippery one throughout the history of man, with the definitions changing with the times.

Part 1: Why do you think the idea of marriages changes so often in the course of the history of man?

Part 2: Why do you think men and women are able to have multiple partners at different times in history?

Part 3: Do you think the modern definition of marriage is realistic? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

The relation between the snake and the woman/Goddess is clear from the text and from the art and historical research that is presented in the book.

Part 1: Why does the snake make sense as a symbol for the Goddess in the book?

Part 2: Why does the snake seem to be a less than appropriate symbol for the Goddess?

Part 3: What do you think the link between the snake and the Goddess is? Why is this important?

Essay Topic 3

The rules imposed on women by other groups, the Levites, for example, cause the roles of women to be shifted to powerlessness.

Part 1: Why do you think women were not seen as the equals of men?

Part 2: Why do you think the rules were so strict for women in those times of society?

Part 3: How do you think women felt about the rules being placed on them?

(see the answer keys)

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