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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What were growing interests for Merton in Olean?
(a) Philosophy and religion.
(b) Teaching and journalism.
(c) Asceticism and contemplation.
(d) Sports and writing

2. When did Merton first talk with Father Edmund about becoming a priest?
(a) September, 1939.
(b) September, 1950.
(c) January, 1940.
(d) December, 1939.

3. How does Merton differentiate himself from an "ordinary Catholic"?
(a) He felt his faith more strongly because of a hospital experience.
(b) He needs more from religion than simply going to church.
(c) He has a lifetime of church-going behind him.
(d) He knows more about church history.

4. What is Merton looking for in his choice of a religious Order?
(a) He wants an Order that is located near his university.
(b) He prefers an Order that allows him to converse with lay people.
(c) He wants an Order that gives him solitude and silence.
(d) He wants an Order that will let him join the war effort.

5. What do Ed Rice and Bob Lax work on in Olean?
(a) They write church history.
(b) They both write novels.
(c) They work on newspaper articles.
(d) They both write autobiographies.

6. What does Merton desire just before going to Olean?
(a) A retreat from the world into solitude and contemplation.
(b) To teach religion at the university.
(c) A meeting with congenial friends.
(d) To become a parish priest.

7. What does Merton's brother do before leaving on his voyage?
(a) He decides to become a monk, too.
(b) He asks Merton to meet him in New York.
(c) He asks to be baptized at Gethsemani.
(d) He consults with a priest about Merton's vocation.

8. What did Merton and his friends grow in Olean?
(a) They grew a vegetable garden.
(b) They all grew beards.
(c) They grew wheat.
(d) They grew their hair long.

9. How many countries has Merton lived in by the time war breaks out?
(a) Six.
(b) Four.
(c) Three.
(d) Five .

10. What does the Baroness tell Merton when he questions his spiritual path and calling?
(a) That he is on the wrong path and is making a mistake.
(b) To keep writing and pray to God more.
(c) To come with her to France.
(d) That he should sell all of his possessions.

11. Why does Merton register for the draft in the way that he does?
(a) He opposes the methods of warfare.
(b) He is morally opposed to war.
(c) He wants to gain attention and fame.
(d) He follows the advice of his religious teachers.

12. What medical emergency does Merton experience while waiting to enter a monastery?
(a) He breaks his arm and must remain in a cast for months.
(b) He has an abcessed tooth extracted.
(c) He has serious stomach trouble and ulcers.
(d) He gets appendicitis and has surgery.

13. Where does Merton first apply for a novitiate?
(a) The monastery of St. Francis of Assisi.
(b) A monastery in Rome.
(c) A monastery in Pennsylvania.
(d) The monastery of Zion Church.

14. Who does Merton talk to when he first starts to tell people he wants to be a priest?
(a) Mark Van Doren.
(b) Dan Walsh.
(c) Ed Rice.
(d) Robert Lax.

15. Where is Merton's brother sent while Thomas is joining the monastery?
(a) To visit the Baroness in Canada.
(b) On bombing raids over Europe.
(c) On a ship to the Pacific.
(d) To join their relatives in Europe.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Part 3, Chapter 3, what does Merton decide is the work he is meant to do?

2. What do Merton and his friends do in Olean?

3. Where is Olean?

4. What does a Carmelite tell the Master of Novices about Merton?

5. Where is Merton's brother during the time Merton is at Friendship House?

(see the answer keys)

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