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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 position did Becket resign when he was made Archbishop?

2. What is not one of the events of the past seven years that the Chorus describes?

3. What does Beckett claim the Fourth Tempter offers?

4. How does Thomas Beckett's thought end?: "If the Archbishop cannot trust the Throne/ He has good cause to trust none but _____________"

5. What does the First Priest compare the women of Canterbury to?

Short Essay Questions

1. What might be a reason Becket chose to do this speech?

2. What is Becket's relationship to his congregation?

3. Why might Becket pointedly ask the congregation to remember his words?

4. What is the tone of the Chorus' "death-bringers" speech after the Knights exit for the first time?

5. In his address to the audience, the Third Knight claims that they are "perfectly disinterested." What does he mean?

6. Why does the Chorus fear the "love of God?"

7. What is the initial and more general accusation the Knights' hold against the Archbishop?

8. How does Becket believe a martyr should be defined?

9. What is the importance of the banners that the Priests enter with and the mention of all of Saints?

10. How does Becket believe man can "mourn and rejoice at once for the same reason?"

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The three Priests have been without the Archbishop's leadership for seven years. His return is important to their spiritual well-being.

Part 1) What is the Priests' outlook on Becket's return? What is the opinion of the First Priest? The Second? The Third?

Part 2) Compare the similarities and differences between the individual opinions of the Priests and that of Becket's in regard to his return. What viewpoints do these people represent?

Part 3) Describe how Becket's return was important to these three men and how it reflects the needs of the community of Canterbury as a whole. What is his relationship to this group?

Essay Topic 2

From the beginning of Murder in the Cathedral, we are told of the monotonous and rather unfulfilled lives that are led by the women of Canterbury. In one instance we are told that they believe they are "living and party living."

1) How is the return of Thomas Becket to Canterbury a good thing for its people? What can he offer them that they have been missing in their lives?

2) How does Becket's return affect them negatively?

3) Using examples from the text, how can monotony be a good thing? How is it bad?

Essay Topic 3

There are many references to "The wheel" in Murder in the Cathedral. Much lore from Ancient Greece and the Middle ages reference the wheel when speaking of a wheel turning as a metaphor of man's fate, fortune and predestination.

1) What part does Becket believe Fate and Destiny play in the final days of his life?

2) How much of this is God's work according to Becket? What are Becket's feeling towards God's actions?

3) What do you believe? It is fate or chance that helped play out Becket's final days as illustrated in Murder in the Cathedral? Feel free to use examples from your own encounters with what you believe to be fate.

(see the answer keys)

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