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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. When is Adso writing this book?

2. Where does William want to go that night in ‘Second Day’?

3. What does the abbot express pride in?

4. Who is the first person from the monks that the men meet in ‘First Day’?

5. What book cited Adso’s manuscript?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Jorge so unnerving?

2. How does Adso feel about ‘modern’ life?

3. How does Salvatore speak?

4. How did Venantius die?

5. Where did the narrator find confirmation of the book’s veracity?

6. What two things disappear from Venantius’s desk in ‘Second Day’?

7. How did the narrator originally lose his copy of the book?

8. When does Adso write his manuscript?

9. What is William fascinated by?

10. Why is Adso allowed to sit away from the novices in ‘First Day’?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast the Dominican order with the Franciscan order. What different beliefs do the two orders espouse? What might they have in common? What political causes might be linked to the different orders?

Essay Topic 2

The book shows two inquisitors, Bernard Gui and William, though he is not acting in this official capacity. How do the two men differ in their approaches? What has William done in the past while conducting inquisitions? How might their methods be the same? Different?

Essay Topic 3

A book is at the heart of the novel. Describe this book and its significance in the story. Why is it important? What does it lead men to do? What commentary might this lead us to about the nature of knowledge, of reading, of literature?

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