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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. When a man searches for God in a divine way, the spirit and the soul of that person are transformed into what, according to Book II, Chapter V?

2. How many important points are made in Book II, Chapter X, about the purification process?

3. In Dark Night of the Soul, with what do slothful Christians have trouble aligning themselves?

4. In Book I, Chapter III, what is the rosary made of?

5. What does the spirit of a man search for in the darkness?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Book II, Chapter V, what reasons are given for the dark night to be named "dark" and not "light"?

2. How must a believer react when first realizing he has entered the dark night, according to Book I, Chapter X?

3. In Book I, Chapter VI, why are new believers especially prone to the sin of gluttony?

4. Why does the author quote the sufferings of Job and Jeremias in Book II, Chapter VII?

5. What is the difference between a symptom of the dark night from sin and actually going through the dark night, according to St. John?

6. In Book I, Chapter III, what are the symptoms of the sin of avarice?

7. How does St. John say a person changes when his spirit becomes united with God and how does his understanding of love change?

8. How does a Christian feel during the three kinds of pain that afflict him when the divine and human meet in one during the dark night, according to the author?

9. What does St. John say causes the sin of wrath and how does a believer allow this to become a sin in his life?

10. In Book II, Chapter VIII, why is the inability to pray or the feeling that prayers are not reaching God in the dark night not a problem?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Angels are mentioned throughout the text of Dark Night of the Soul and have specific qualities described by St. John. Please respond to the following with examples from the text that support your answer:

1) How are angels portrayed in the text with similar qualities as humans?

2) How does an angel become closer to God in spirituality?

3) What do both angels and humans experience which provides them with a commonality?

Essay Topic 2

There are seven points that the author describes about the understanding of divine fire. This fire is special and consumes and purifies the soul at the same time. Use supporting examples to respond to the following:

1) List at least four understandings of divine fire that St. John describes in Dark Night of the Soul.

2) How is divine fire of the soul similar to a log burning in a real fire?

3) How does the comparison of divine fire to a real fire illustrate the concept of a soul burning in purgatory?

Essay Topic 3

The pain that occurs during the dark night is very intense and the author describes three types of pain that happens to the soul during this time. With examples from the text, please respond with examples to the following:

1) What are the three types of pain a soul experiences while going through the dark night of spirituality?

2) What causes this pain to occur?

3) Why is this pain required for the soul in order to emerge from the dark night?

(see the answer keys)

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