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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. What history does the author say proves to be incommensurable for poetry?

2. What "humble view" does the author say he presents to the young man?

3. The author accuses the young man of hardening his mind to what?

4. What does the author accuse the young man of having become?

5. What capacity of the soul does the author say is missing in the young man?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the author write about "the Moment"?

2. What advice does the author give the young man about despair?

3. What risk does the author say one runs when one despairs about something in particular?

4. What is the point of the author's story about the count and countess?

5. What does the author say the young man proposes is the definition of a hero? What does the author encourage the young man to suppose instead?

6. What does the author say to despotic husbands who utterly dominate their wives?

7. What is the author's definition of the ethical?

8. How does the author define philosophy and what does he appreciate about it?

9. Why does the author warn against young men being tied down to making a living right away?

10. What "gift of grace" does the author say he would add to those listed in the bible?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the attitude of the author towards wedding ceremonies? What purpose do the ceremonies serve? In what ways are they "backward"? Discuss citing specific examples from the text.

Essay Topic 2

The final chapter of EITHER/OR takes the form of a sermon? How does this form serve the author's intentions? How does it limit him? What other form might the final chapter have taken? How would that change the effect of the book for better or worse? Cite specific examples from the text to support your position.

Essay Topic 3

Much of EITHER/OR takes the form of a letter written from an older man to a younger man. How does Kierkegaard use this format to accomplish his goals with the book? How might the message of the book feel different if it took another form? Discuss citing specific examples from the text.

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