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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How many of the horse's thirty-six ribs are distributed to the universe in ritual sacrifice?
(a) Twenty-two.
(b) Ten.
(c) One.
(d) Thirty-four.

2. Indra splits open a _____ to release trapped cows.
(a) Ocean.
(b) Boulder.
(c) Giant egg.
(d) Cave.

3. Susna is the demon of _____.
(a) Night.
(b) Flood.
(c) Day.
(d) Drought.

4. The Maruts are referred to as _____ in "The Cows in the Cave".
(a) The dark ones.
(b) The quick ones.
(c) The small ones.
(d) The elite ones.

5. In later Sanskrit, a wish is a chariot made of _____.
(a) Sorrow.
(b) Thought.
(c) Hemp.
(d) Flax.

6. Who are the ancient dark divinities?
(a) The Asisis.
(b) The Vyalkasas.
(c) The Agnis.
(d) The Asuras.

7. When Agni becomes priest, his _____ are both flame and prayer.
(a) Eyes.
(b) Thoughts.
(c) Arms.
(d) Robes.

8. What word is often identified with the soul?
(a) Water.
(b) Fire.
(c) Breath.
(d) Sound.

9. Varuna and Mitra are keepers of the _____.
(a) Pressing stones.
(b) Soma.
(c) Moral law.
(d) Sticks.

10. All fires die out when Siva is wrongly accused in "The Birth of Agni" and he departs from the _____.
(a) High Desert.
(b) Gray Mountains.
(c) Black Hills.
(d) Pine Forests.

11. Who is a kavi?
(a) A sacrifical martyr.
(b) A guardian or keeper.
(c) A poet or a saint.
(d) A snake handler.

12. At the end of "The Birth of Agni", what does Agni turn into?
(a) A horse.
(b) A bull.
(c) A demon.
(d) A frog.

13. What are the sisters that embrace the pressing stones?
(a) Gems.
(b) Dirt.
(c) Fingers.
(d) Other stones.

14. Cows appear in the metaphors involving Soma as _____ or water.
(a) Whey.
(b) Milk.
(c) Blood.
(d) Clouds.

15. The horses of Indra in "The Sacrifice of the Horse" are _____.
(a) Two dapple grays.
(b) Two grey donkeys.
(c) Two roan mares.
(d) Two bay stallions.

Short Answer Questions

1. What did Martanda's name originally mean in "Aditi and the Birth of the Gods"?

2. In "We Have Drunk the Soma", Dawn harnesses _____ to her chariot to bring treasure to the singer of the hymn.

3. What is the name of the ancient sage to whom "Requiem for a Horse" is attributed?

4. In the hymn "Yama and the Fathers", who is being told to go away from the burning-ground where they live?

5. Max Muller dubs the unknown god _____.

(see the answer keys)

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