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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. In "Gambler's Lament", dice are born during a storm and cease to hang like _____ from the nut tree.
(a) Bones.
(b) Earrings.
(c) Stars.
(d) Pendulums.

2. What does the name Vena mean?
(a) Light.
(b) Thirst.
(c) Longing.
(d) Elder.

3. In "Have Mercy on Us, Rudra", Rudra's hair is braided or piled on top of his head in a _____.
(a) Basket.
(b) Tangled mess.
(c) Pyramid.
(d) Chignon.

4. In stories associated with "Apala and Indra", what is the first skin that is sloughed off of Apala?
(a) A hedgehog.
(b) A dog.
(c) A deer.
(d) A jackal.

5. For what is 'the house of clay' a metaphor?
(a) Sacrifice.
(b) The earth.
(c) Death.
(d) The body.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "The Three Strides of Visnu", the commentator suggests that the ferocious beast is a _____.

2. The overturned cask is a frequent metaphor for a _____.

3. What do the Maruts give Gotama when he prays to them?

4. Who is the mother of the Maruts?

5. The _____ in "Indra and the Monkey" is regarded as the indigenous inhabitant, regarded as demonic.

Short Essay Questions

1. How is creation mythology presented in "Varuna Provoked to Anger"?

2. What does Vena personify in the hymn of the same name, and how does this relate to the theme of the hymn?

3. What is the role of beauty in regards to women in the Rig Veda?

4. What is Varuna asked to protect the worshiper from in regards to his own power?

5. In "Indra and the Maruts", why does Indra mock the Maruts?

6. According to Indian theory, what happens to the sun during the rainy season?

7. In "The Courtship of Ghosa", what does Ghosa ask the Asvins?

8. What are two meanings of "Atri and the Lost Sun"?

9. What does the poet ask for at the end of "Parjanya, the Bull", and why?

10. What is Yami's argument to persuade Yama to have incest relations with her, and who does she invoke to aid her with this?

(see the answer keys)

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