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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 Goodwill say to the group at the Wicket Gate?

2. After they have left the shepherds, what did the man at the mountain do before he met the group?

3. Whom does Mr. Mnason’s daughter, Grace, marry?

4. What has happened to Sloth, Simple, and Presumption in Part 2?

5. Who teaches Christiana’s sons about religion?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is on the hill that commemorates something, and what does it commemorate?

2. What happens when the group is on Enchanted Ground and who meets them at BeulahLand?

3. Why is Mercy worried about the journey?

4. What does the group’s rescuer tell them and where do they go next? What do they see there first?

5. Where does the group lodge in Vanity? Why do they stay there? What happens with his two daughters?

6. What does Honest tell them about Fearing and how does the group feel after hearing that story?

7. What happens to ease the mind of the latest group member and what does Great Heart do after the group sets forth following James’ wedding?

8. What does the group see when they pass the spot where Christian met Sloth and his friends?

9. What happens to the group in the morning at the Interpreter’s house and what does he do before the group leaves? Where are they going next?

10. What hill did the group climb and what were they shown as they approached House Beautiful?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Titles often play a vital role in making a person decide to read a particular book. Discuss the following:

1. Fully explain why you think The Pilgrim’s Progress is titled as such. Do you think it is the best title for the book? Why or why not? Can you think of a better title? Why would you choose it?

2. Do you think a title needs to have direct relevance to a book's content? Does the title of The Pilgrim's Progress directly relate to its contents? If so, how? If not, how might the title change to reflect its content?

3. Why do you think the author of The Pilgrim's Progress has chosen not to delineate chapters by title names in this novel? If you were to title the chapters of the book, how would you do so?

Essay Topic 2

The journey of Christian's family is intended to show how women and children also reach salvation. The main difference in their pilgrimage is that they are attacked because of their perceived weakness and are cautioned to rely on a guide to protect them on their journey.

1. In the era of John Bunyan, women were thought to have a more difficult time obtaining salvation because they were not as educated or as capable as men. Discuss how this prevailing idea affected the way the author wrote The Pilgrim’s Progress. How are the women in the narrative presented?

2. Discuss the ways in which women are viewed differently in the modern world by most of the Western world. How do these different perspectives relate to the novel?

3. The weakness of women the author implies is one of moral courage. At this time in history, women were thought to tempt men into sin as the original incident of “Adam and Eve.” How does irony apply to this idea presented by John Bunyan?

Essay Topic 3

Few works in literature present so effectively what it means to be committed to a cause or belief. In The Pilgrim's Progress, the world is filled with snares and diversions which may keep Christian from realizing his purpose. In an age like our own, when distractions and temptations keep many young people from realizing their potential, The Pilgrim's Progress stands apart, celebrating the courage and resolve needed for a person to do what he believes is right and good.

1. Compare the rigid theology of the Christians in the 1600s to a modern religion that seems to be just as rigid. How are the tenets of each religion similar? How are they different?

2. Discuss the ways in which The Pilgrim’s Progress might be used to teach determination and perseverance. What characters embody these traits?

3. How would you compare the distractions and temptations in The Pilgrim’s Progress to modern issues the young have to face?

(see the answer keys)

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