View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Augustine feel when he reads of Zeus engaging in fornication and being powerful?

2. For what is the stealing of the pear a metaphor?

3. Who joins Augustus in Milan?

4. What is Augustine's position in his circle of friends?

5. With what is Augustine in love?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Augustine feel the pear tree incident symbolized?

2. What is Augustine's thinking on marriage?

3. What type of job does Augustine do and where does he get his money?

4. How do the questions Augustine have about God and the world affect his faith?

5. What kind of pressure does Augustine feel as a young person and what does he do about it?

6. Who teaches Augustine about astrology and what does he say?

7. What happens with Augustine and the Manicheans and why?

8. Augustine says he wrote Confessions for what reason?

9. How does Monica feel about Augustine moving and how does he get around her?

10. As a young man how does Augustine feel about love and what doesn't he understand about it?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Augustine thinks about sin, and feels overwhelmed with the task of avoiding sin. Babies and the saintly are affected or tempted by sin.

1. Do you think the second sentence above is true? Why or why not?

2. Do you think, given Augustine's definition of sin, that humans can avoid sin? Why or why not?

3. Discuss Augustine's ideas about sin.

Essay Topic 2

Augustine recalls that he was under a lot of peer pressure to seek sexual pleasure and to applaud those who seek it from his peers that he knew from his town and from school. Augustine remembers even inventing sexual exploits to tell his peers, just to impress them.

1. Do you think Augustine's feelings of pressure from his peers was valid? Why or why not?

2. Do you think young men today feel the same peer pressure Augustine felt? Why or why not?

3. Discuss your beliefs about how young people are subjected to peer pressure and what a young person can do about it.

Essay Topic 3

In Book III, Augustin, in reading the philosopher Cicero's book, called Hortensius, first finds in himself the love for truth, or from the Greek derivation, philosophy.

1. Do you think Augustine at this point in his life sees any conflict between philosophy and religion? Why or why not?

2. Do you think later in his life Augustine sees any conflict between philosophy and religion? Why or why not?

3. At the point of Book III, what do you think Augustine sees as the purpose of philosophy? Does this change when he becomes a Christian?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 961 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample