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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 is Ubbo-Sathla?

2. The witch-people were supposedly from which region?

3. What famous book is mentioned in the story?

4. What is the name of the author's best friend?

5. The object may have belonged to the members of which ancient civilization?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Chalmers explain the existence of the Fourth Dimension to Frank?

2. What does the narrator see during his night by the Black Stone?

3. What is the supposed history of the Black Stone? Has the theory been proven?

4. Who is Howard? What is Howard's main goal in the story?

5. Tregardis approaches the dwarfish proprietor with the hopes of receiving an explanation and/or history about the stone. What does the proprietor say?

6. Describe John Carnby. What kind of work does he do? Where does he live? How is the house described?

7. Castro tells the group about the Great Old Ones. Who are the Great Old Ones? Where did they live? What was the group waiting for and how did they communicate with the outside world?

8. What is the first passage translated from Arabic into English? What is Ogden's opinion of the passage?

9. Where does Paul Tregardis find the crystal in Ubbo-Sathla? What is Paul Tregardis' first impression of the crystal?

10. What difficulties does the narrator have in learning more about the Black Stone and Stregoicavar?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Sorcerers are said to be very powerful people with a gift and knowledge of magic. The sorcerer's spells and rites are highly secretive and therefore sought by many. Discuss sorcerers. Do sorcerers exist? If so, where? How do they work? What types of powers might be used by a sorcerer? Are sorcerers evil? Are the secrets often passed down? Are sorcerers different than witches? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

In "Beyond the Threshold," "The Dweller in Darkness" and "Notebook Found in a Deserted House," characters disappear after having some interaction with the paranormal. Compare and contrast the situations. What happens just before each character vanishes? Is the character ever found? What do you think happened to each character? Do you think there is evil behind the disappearances? Do you think there are plausible explanations behind the disappearances? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

Several characters throughout the book go insane after having an encounter with a specific object or entity. Examine the insanity of the characters. What makes each character go insane? What is the cause behind the personality shift? Is the person possessed or has he turned into an evil being? Does the person know he is going insane? What is the reaction of the people around the insane character? Is it possible to go insane from an encounter with a horrible entity? Can one be scared into insanity? Is there a treatment or cure? What happens to each character?

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