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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who came to visit Merton in 1930?
(a) Owen and John Paul.
(b) Bonnemaman and Pop.
(c) Pop and Owen.
(d) Pop, Bonnemaman, and John Paul.

2. What was his father building in St. Antonin?
(a) He builds an art studio.
(b) He builds a piece of sculpture.
(c) He builds an extra bedroom.
(d) He builds a house for the family.

3. What medical problem plagued Merton on a backpacking trip in the Rhine Valley?
(a) He suffered a broken leg.
(b) He broke his jaw and was hospitalized.
(c) He had an abscessed tooth that led to gangrene.
(d) He had a heart problem and fainting spells.

4. When was Merton baptized?
(a) September, 1937.
(b) December, 1940.
(c) November, 1939.
(d) January, 1940.

5. How does Merton describe the boys at Ripley Court?
(a) They dislike sports.
(b) They are pleasant and happy.
(c) They are snobbish and unfriendly.
(d) They are cruel to him.

6. What do the Columbia Review and the Spectator have in common?
(a) They are publications that represented failure to Merton.
(b) They are both student publications Merton was involved with.
(c) They are magazines Merton disliked.
(d) They are magazines that Pop wrote for.

7. When was Thomas Merton born?
(a) February 14, 1925.
(b) January 31, 1915.
(c) January 31, 1950.
(d) January 22, 1935.

8. Where did Merton attend school in England while with his aunt?
(a) Eton.
(b) He was home-schooled.
(c) A church school.
(d) Ripley Court.

9. What did Pop allow the 15-year-old Merton to do that really impressed him?
(a) He allowed him to drive his car.
(b) He allowed him to enjoy luxury travel.
(c) He allowed him to visit his father alone.
(d) Pop allowed the 15-year-old Merton to smoke a cigarette.

10. With whom does Merton stay in England?
(a) He lives with his grandparents.
(b) He boards at his school.
(c) He stays with his Aunt Maude and Uncle Ben.
(d) He lives with his father and brother.

11. What revelation did Merton have when attending his first Mass?
(a) That many people at the church liked him.
(b) That he did not feel out of place there.
(c) That many people came to Mass.
(d) That many ordinary people were more conscious of God than of each other.

12. What did Owen ask Merton to do for him while he was ill?
(a) He asked Merton to pray for him.
(b) He asked Merton to take care of John Paul.
(c) He wanted Merton to do well in school
(d) He wanted Merton to come with him to London.

13. What does Merton love about America?
(a) Its cultural life.
(b) Its geography and landscapes.
(c) Its wealth and power.
(d) Its ideals and work ethic.

14. What error does Merton think Protestants commit?
(a) They do not spend time talking with other faiths.
(b) They do not talk enough about God and religion.
(c) They are too focused on financial issues.
(d) They share too much of their personal lives when talking.

15. How does Thomas Merton feel about his father?
(a) Merton wants to be a perfectionist like him.
(b) Merton's father is his hero.
(c) Merton dislikes his father's job.
(d) Merton is critical of his behavior.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who gave Merton his First Communion?

2. What does Merton miss when he left France for England?

3. What is one of the last things mentioned in Chapter 4 of Part 1?

4. Who is Bob Lax?

5. Who is Owen Merton?

(see the answer keys)

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