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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. Who are Agni's sons?

2. In the hymn, "In Praise of Generosity", fortune is described as _____.

3. How many corners does the earth have in "A Spell to Turn Back the Departing Spirit"?

4. Cows appear in the metaphors involving Soma as _____ or water.

5. Which word in the Rig Veda means 'to sprinkle'?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What is the meaning of the use of hunger in "In praise of Generosity"?

4. How are Agni and Soma linked?

5. Who are the Angirases and with whom are they often linked?

6. What is the sacrificial horse identified with?

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

8. What is the role of the goat in "The Sacrifice of the Horse" and for whom does it do this?

9. Who eats from the tree of knowledge in "The Riddle of the Sacrifice", and what does this mean?

10. What are the the three forms of speech highlighted in the hymn, "Speech", and what do they represent?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What are the two incarnations of Parjanya? What is the significance of Parjanya as a god figure? What is paradoxical about Parjanya's gender in "Parjanya, the Cow"?

Essay Topic 2

Who are the demons in the Rig Veda? Where do they live? Why do they live there? How do they interact with the gods? What is Sarama's role in relation to the demons?

Essay Topic 3

What tasks is Varuna charged with? Who is Varuna a friend of? What threatens their friendship? How is this resolved?

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