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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 does Ovid recommend to those that cannot distance themselves from the love they wish to get over?

2. Which of the following best describes the nature of The Art of Love Book 1?

3. What warning does Ovid give about practicing infidelity?

4. What does Ovid say is the secret to finesse at lovemaking?

5. How does Ovid feel about deception to girls?

Short Essay Questions

1. What sort of language does Ovid recommend using when writing to a girl?

2. What does Ovid recommend your behavior be like towards a lover you are trying to get over?

3. What does Ovid recommend doing with old letters from an affair you are trying to forget? What else does he say on the subject?

4. What advice does Apollo tell Ovid to pass on to everyone?

5. What does Ovid recommend doing should your lover fall ill?

6. What does Ovid say about beauty in The Art of Love book 2? What advice does he give to prepare for this?

7. How would you describe Ovid's general approach to women as portrayed in The Art of Love?

8. What advice does Ovid give regarding makeup? What does he say about how much to wear and when to apply it?

9. Does Ovid recommend picturing the person you are trying to get over with a new love? Why or why not?

10. What is Ovid referring to when he says "A fire's blown up by the wind, by the wind extinguished: a gentle breeze fans the flame, a harder gust puts it out?"

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write a biography on the author Ovid.

Part 1. When and where does Ovid live? What does he pursue as a career? Is he successful in his career?

Part 2. When does Ovid start writing poetry? Is he able to create a reputation for himself as a good poet?

Part 3. What reason is given for his banished from Rome? How does his life end?

Essay Topic 2

Assuming that Ovid has not created a persona for his poems, what is the nature of the man we get to know through his poems?

Part 1. Is it likely that Ovid was writing through a persona or that his poems are from personal experience?

Part 2. What is his character like in the poems? Does it evolve?

Part 3. What logical life history or situation can explain his changing nature?

Essay Topic 3

In the time of Ovid's life, adultery has become a rampant social issue and the theme of Ovid's erotic poems probably leads to his banishment. Discuss the social issue of adultery in Rome at the time of Ovid's life.

Part 1. What are the social mores regarding adultery in the Rome that Ovid grew up in?

Part 2. What steps do the leaders of Rome take to amend this problem?

Part 3. How does Ovid's erotic poems fit into this scheme and what were the consequences?

(see the answer keys)

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