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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What had Gurdjieff promised himself to do after completing his first series of writing?
(a) drink all the bottles of Calvados in the wine cellar of the Prieure
(b) consult with all his learned tutors
(c) go on a vacation to the Black Sea
(d) visit his relatives and friends and relax

2. What was Pogossian bitten by?
(a) a viper
(b) a Kurd sheep dog
(c) a malaria mosquito
(d) a big yellow phalanga, a kind of tarantula

3. What did Gurdjieff and Pogossian pursue together?
(a) They pursued a career in agriculture.
(b) They became interested in ancient Armenian books.
(c) They studied the Scriptures together.
(d) They decided to pursue medical careers together.

4. How did Gurdjieff and Pogossian secure passage on a ship to Egypt?
(a) They sneaked on board a ship destined for Alexandria
(b) The bribed a ship's captain to take them to Egypt.
(c) They came to the aid of some English sailors in a fight.
(d) They got jobs as crew members on an Egyptian ship.

5. What was the title of the introduction Gurdjieff had originally planned for the thirtieth book?
(a) "Why I Became a Writer"
(b) " A New World Devoid of Illusions"
(c) "Why I Am Against Contemporary Literature"
(d) " The Meaning of Life as I Discovered It"

6. What was Gurdjieff's youngest niece supposed to do for him?
(a) fan him with a palm fan while he was working in the heat.
(b) see that his Arabian coffee did not become cold in the cup
(c) bring him cold drinks
(d) sing to him while he sat under the trees

7. What does Pogossian decide to do when they arrive in Alexandria?
(a) He decides to steal the copy of "pre-sand Egypt"
(b) He decides to stay on the ship, working in the engine room
(c) He decides to become a tour guide along with Gurdjieff
(d) He decides to return home to Turkey

8. How does Gurdjieff remember Pogossian?
(a) as a fellow adventurer who never achieved his goals
(b) as a workaholic who became a wealthy ship owner
(c) as a simple man with a deep faith
(d) as a lazy but dear friend

9. When did Gurdjieff meet Pogossian and become friends with him?
(a) when Pogossian was finishing his seminary studies
(b) in Kars during his childhood
(c) in Paldevan during his vacation
(d) in Baku on a trip

10. What was Father Borsh's view about a youth before he attained adulthood?
(a) He wasn't responsible for any of his acts
(b) He was a non-entity.
(c) He should be severely punished for wrong doing
(d) He was responsible for his acts.

11. Gurdjieff intended to write his book in accordance with what counsel for living employed by Mullah Nassr Eddin?
(a) "strive to attain what is useful for others and pleasant for oneself"
(b) "strive to attain knowledge and use it in one's life"
(c) "strive to be honest and virtuous in all that you do"
(d) "strive to work hard, be modest and help others"

12. What phenomenon do Bogachevsky and his friends experiment with?
(a) disappearing rabbits
(b) summoning spirits from the dead using a medium
(c) divining people's names by holding their hands
(d) "table turning"--laying hands on a table and asking it questions

13. Who was allowed access to Father Borsh's room?
(a) Anyone seeking help or advice
(b) Any students at the Kars Military Cathedral
(c) Gurdjieff and Gurdjieff's father
(d) Gurdjieff and Father Borsh's orderly

14. What did Bogachevsky counsel men to do in order to live a moral life?
(a) a man should study many subjects and become educated
(b) a man should try to please others
(c) a man should travel the world and observe people
(d) a man should follow his own conscience and not heed others

15. Why did the subject of spiritualism make a strong impression on Gurdjieff?
(a) because of the recent death of his favorite sister
(b) because he wanted to take part in a seance
(c) because his dead sister appeared to him in a dream
(d) because he wanted to believe in immortality

Short Answer Questions

1. What did Pogossian's parents do for a living?

2. What was Ani?

3. Who was the fortuneteller whom Gurdjieff's aunt consulted?

4. In whose house did Gurdjieff and Pogossian stay in the city of N?

5. How did the stories Gurdjieff's father told him influence him in his later life?

(see the answer keys)

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