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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. An Asura is a form of high ____.
(a) Divinity.
(b) Priesthood.
(c) Catechism.
(d) Devotion.

2. Who are Agni's sons?
(a) The Maruts.
(b) The priests.
(c) The poets.
(d) The sages.

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

4. Which word in the Rig Veda means 'to sprinkle'?
(a) Dust.
(b) Descend.
(c) Spray.
(d) Anoint.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is a kavi?

2. Savitr is the _____ and the embodiment of twilight.

3. The author calls the unknown god the _____.

4. Who are the ancient dark divinities?

5. What is the male element of the newborn sun or fire?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the actual content of the secret in "The Mystery of Agni"?

2. In "Aditi and the Birth of the Gods", what does the author think is meant by the poet's seeing the birth of the gods?

3. What is the state of clarity of the early stages of creation in "The All-maker", according to the author, and why?

4. What is the significance of the membrane in "The Gods Coax Agni Out of the Waters"?

5. What does the hymn, "The Sacrificial Priests", liken the work of the priests to? How?

6. What is the nature of the 'child of the waters' and how does this relate to Agni?

7. Who are the three brothers in "The Riddle of the Sacrifice" and with whom are they associated in the text?

8. What are the meanings of the recurrent epithet, "Knower of creatures"?

9. How are Agni and Soma linked?

10. What is the distinction between food that is for the gods and food that is for the dead fathers?

(see the answer keys)

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