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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does it mean that Augustine requires his students to have such broad knowledge to master his course?
(a) That he was a hard taskmaster with high expectations of his students.
(b) That he was preparing them for other professions should they not prove adept at teaching.
(c) That learning from Augustine was all absorbing and time consuming.
(d) That he believes that finding the meaning of scripture can only be done through intense and careful study.

2. By the end of Book Two, Augustine devoted much of this text to refuting critics who believe Scriptural interpretation comes simply. What does this infer of Augustine's methods of debate?
(a) Augustine is personally offended with critics and chooses to punish those who most support him.
(b) Augustine chooses to overwhelm his critics with so much information that they lose track of their arguments.
(c) Augustine confronts his critics with thorough investigation and lets his text prove his integrity.
(d) Augustine is obsessive and relentlessly badgers his critics into submission.

3. What ethical principle of the Bible does Augustine require for students to use as a guide for interpretation of Scripture?
(a) The principle of love.
(b) The principle of the omnipotence of God.
(c) The principle of original sin.
(d) The principle of God's authority over judgment.

4. According to Augustine, how should misunderstood signs become understood?
(a) By considering how the used thing is accepted by the community.
(b) By examining the use of the word that appears to be a thing.
(c) By committing the misunderstood words or expressions to memory.
(d) By examining the context in which things appear as signs.

5. By making the demands of understanding Scripture difficult, who was Augustine criticizing?
(a) Those who believe that learning information outside of the Bible leads to heresy.
(b) His detractors believed Scripture could be interpreted easily through special gifts.
(c) Those who believe that only studying the life of Christ was sufficient to understand Scripture.
(d) Those who felt that Scripture could be interpreted through current events.

6. How does Augustine treat Tyconius' rules that he cites in his book?
(a) Augustine applies them to particular cases to the end of Book Three.
(b) Augustine uses them to prove what he considers misguided thinking of Donatists.
(c) Augustine merely illustrates Tyconius' rules as one of several approaches for interpreting Scripture of the day.
(d) Augustine compares them to his own set of principles to point out differences and similarities.

7. What does Augustine prove from the demands he expects from his students that he began defending against critics in the Preface?
(a) That understanding Scripture requires intense and focused study so proper interpretation can be applied and demonic misleading can be avoided.
(b) That Augustine intends to protect the integrity of his students by dominating their time.
(c) That Augustine does not respect people who believe they do not need to study.
(d) That Augustine does not trust his students, therefore he plans to keep them occupied.

8. Since Augustine regards his disciples as "divinely instituted," what responsibility falls on his students?
(a) They have the duty to discover their "special gift."
(b) They have the duty to develop their "inner eye."
(c) They have the duty to apply good social and intellectual practices.
(d) They have the duty to know the difference between things and signs.

9. How does Augustine state a student should consider an evil command given to its intended target?
(a) That God requires that his will be followed.
(b) That God is becoming intolerant of defiance against his laws.
(c) As a sign that God will exercise an act of judgment.
(d) As being good for the individual or group at the time.

10. Why does Augustine suggest that God would use confusing signs?
(a) Because God wants students to understand the context of words.
(b) Because God wants students to examine Scripture so they can discover His illuminated truth.
(c) Because God wants his community to work through things and signs.
(d) Because humans find grasping the nature of things by analogy more satisfying.

11. Of Tyconius' rules for interpreting Scripture that Augustine examined, which two relate to the subjects that Augustine recommended for study in Book Two?
(a) On the promises and the law and On the devil and his body.
(b) On the Lord and his body and On the promises and the law.
(c) On species and genus and On measurements of time.
(d) On the Lord's twofold body and On genus and species.

12. What does Augustine call signs that are only used to express and transmit thoughts?
(a) Signs that are words.
(b) Natural signs.
(c) Signs that are things.
(d) Given signs.

13. What are some of the practices of these categories in which humans must not participate?
(a) Superstition and astrology.
(b) Teaching literal spheres as figurative spheres.
(c) Using special gifts to attempt to convert things to signs.
(d) Attempting to reconcile truth with heresy.

14. What is an important omission that Augustine commits as it applies to moral rules in Scripture?
(a) Augustine does not guide students to understand whether the moral rules of Scripture are universal or particular.
(b) Augustine omits standards for interpreting Scripture.
(c) Augustine omits grammatical techniques for interpreting Scripture.
(d) Augustine omits examples of grammatical forms from Scripture.

15. How can recommendations Augustine makes from Book Three prevent students from falling into the trap that misleads them?
(a) Augustine devotes much of Book Two to detailing the demands on the serious student of Scripture.
(b) Augustine recommends that students learn the culture, language, and history from the periods that Scripture was written to develop the skill to interpret Scripture intelligently.
(c) Augustine painstakingly differentiates between signs and things to guide students away from misapplying both.
(d) Augustine warns against allowing the increased knowledge of students from developing into pride.

Short Answer Questions

1. What are the two types of signs in Book Two?

2. What does Augustine state the student must do once the figurative and literal passages have been separated from each other?

3. How does Augustine say a student should treat any evil actions or speech from characters Scriptures praise as holy?

4. What important understanding must the student of scripture possess, as stated in Book Two?

5. What is a major challenge in dealing with the topic addressed in Book Three?

(see the answer keys)

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