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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 Teresa say about good works done outside of communion with God ?

2. What do many people do to prevent them from moving into the Fifth Dwelling?

3. How does Teresa say the confirmation of the Prayer of Union is not determined?

4. What does Teresa say is important in the early stages of being a butterfly in the Fifth Dwelling?

5. What does Teresa say inhabits the outside of the castle?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain how the seeker receives the spiritual sweetness.

2. What does Teresa prescribe as a means of passing any test of her faith and devotion?

3. What lament does Teresa offer for those who never experience a relationship with God?

4. What does Teresa have to say about mastering one's earthly appetites?

5. What does Teresa say about a nun who is entangled with the cares of the world?

6. How does Teresa describe establishing and maintaining intimacy with God?

7. How does Teresa classify the greatest need in gaining a high level of intimacy with God?

8. How does Teresa define spiritual consolations?

9. What theme does Teresa introduce in her first chapter that runs throughout the book?

10. What caution does Teresa offer about imagining one has gifts from God that have not actually been bestowed?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay comparing Teresa with Joan of Arc who was burned at the stake for hearing voices giving her instruction for liberating her people. Teresa skirts that same issue in her book by warning her sisters to be careful about telling their mystic experiences to others and by her relief that her instruction now comes more quietly and less often in public. In your essay show how reaction to mysticism has historically been marked by superstition and prejudice.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay on the value of analogies in explaining certain points. Select a topic and give an example of how an analogy makes your point about that topic easier to understand. For example, building a career might be analogous to building a house, starting with the foundation of a good education.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay about obedience. Use Teresa's insistence on being obedient to her spiritual advisers and superiors. In your essay either defend the idea of religious obedience or offer your objections to the idea. This is not an essay that has a right answer or a wrong one. It is your opinion and, therefore, cannot be wrong. The essay is marked on how well you present your case.

(see the answer keys)

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