Uiowa Quest for Human Destiny Final Exam

What is the first definition of Lullu?

" To scream out loud"

(Genesis 1-2:4a/Book) What explanation is given for why the human being is created as "male and female?"

"It is not good for man to be alone."

(Lecture 11-B) Gilgamesh's lament over Enkedu is noteworthy because _______.

- Enkedu had, in a way, become his "better half." - of the power and the intelligence of the lament. - of the extent of the loss.

(Lecture 11-B) Gilgamesh's lament over Enkedu is noteworthy because _________.

- of the power and the intelligence of the lament. - Enkedu had, in a way, become his "better half." - of the extent of the loss.

(Lecture 3-B) In the Babylonian Talmud, The Men of the Great Assembly discuss Akiba bar Kochba, _________.

- was a great revolutionary. - who was a fellow member of the Men of the Great Assembly. - whose name is reminiscent both of Jacob/Israel and the great god Marduk of the E'numa E'lish.

3 prime locations

1. Gan eden 2. Promised land 3 Mountain of god

the human animal is restricted to a ______.

120 yr life span

How many birds are released in Gilgamesh?

3

serphin

3 sets of wings one set covers genitals

How many birds are released in the biblical version?

4

(Lecture 10-B) Why would God communicate with his greatest prophet in an all-enveloping supernatural silence?

The goal is to get the "listener" in touch with him/herself.

Why would God communicate with his greatest prophet in an all enveloping supernatural silence?

The goal is to get the listener in touch with him / herself.

What explanation is given for why the human being is created as male and female?

The human creature is made in the likelyhood of God.

(Lecture 3-B) This class adopts the following approach to reading the Hebrew Bible: ____________.

The order of the books is worthy of serious attention.

(Releasing of the Birds Text/Genesis) Which of the following is correct with respect to the birds and their return to the ark?

The second time the dove is released, she returns with a freshly plucked olive leaf.

What is the first type of interspecies copulation?

The sons of elohim cohabit with earth women and create immortal creatures that survived the flood and are still "with us"

(E'numa E'lish/Book) What is the role of the gods and goddesses subsequent to Marduk's victory?

They are stationed in the firmament as the sun, the moon, and the stars.

(Childhood's End/Book) What is ironic about the Overlords?

They are sympathetic towards humanity but look like devils.

(E'numa E'lish Discussion) What is the origin/meaning of what has come to be used as the title of this tale, the E'numa E'lish?

They are the first two words of the tale, usually translated "when on high."

(Lecture 11-A) How do the cherubim use their two sets of wings?

They hold up God's chariot and they cover their private parts.

(Eden Story Discussion) Why do the man and the woman try to hide from God?

They realize their private parts are exposed, leaving them naked.

Why does God ban Adam and Eve from the garden?

To deny them access to the tree of life

("On Loving the Truth" Slideshow) True or False? Tolstoy believed it was important to study the Bible by reading it in its original languages (e.g., Koine Greek, Biblical Hebrew).

True

("On Relationships and Death" Slideshow) True or False? Our entire understanding of The Old Man and the Sea turns on whether we can trust the old man's sensibilities and evaluations.

True

(On Irony and Light Slideshow) True or False? An apt comparison of the "Pretty My Mouth and Green My Eyes" with "The Death of Ivan Ilych" would be: Whereas Lee runs away from a revelation about himself, Ivan Ilych embraces it.

True

Why is Noah's story more believable than Utnapishtims?

Utnapishtim narrates his own story, and his wife is in awe of Gilgamesh so he might be trying to make himself look good. Noah has no interest in looking good because he is not the narrator

Noah gets message of the flood from ____.

Walking with God when he is awake

What is special about the privledge God gave us to eat animals?

We must participate with the animals suffering at death, if we do not we are guilty of murder

Does Gilgamesh regret turning down Ishtar?

Yes, because he is lonely.

("On the Quest for Understanding" Slideshow) Which of the following is true in regard to the quest for understanding?

You cannot be taught, you can only find your own way.

(Releasing of the Birds Text/Genesis) Which of the following reflects the order in which Noah released the birds?

a raven, a dove, the dove again, the dove again

(Epic of Gilgamesh/Book) Gilgamesh died, even though he found and ate of a plant that granted perpetual youth, because...

a serpent stole it from him

(Lecture 4-B) "The Grand Inquisitor" chapter in The Brothers Karamzov describes the extent to which the religious establishment would view the return of one such as Jesus as _______.

a threat.

(Lecture 10-A) It is ironic that Ivan Ilych finally makes the trip to the "Promised Land" only ______.

after he can no longer move.

(Lecture 9-B) The Hebrew Bible ends with a description of...

an unspeakable tragedy

(Lecture 1-B) Ironic communication is based on the premise that ________.

an untruth can be a virtue.

(Genesis 1-2:4a/Book) The entities created on the first three days of creation are separated from those of the subsequent three days in that they ________.

are fixed in place.

(Lecture 14-B) The first three words of the Hebrew Bible (bereshit bara elohim)

are somehow associated with the activities of a famous gibbur (Nimrod)

(Lecture 9-A) References to the biblical Jacob-Israel and Rachel in the film 2001 are ________.

associated with the bathrooms

(Lecture 13-A) The biblical character, Ruth of Moab, stands as a critique of _____.

blessing and cursing of groups.

(Lecture 15-A) The complicated dietary regulations which begin to be spelled out in the Book of Leviticus...

can be simplified by being a vegetarian.

(Eden Story Discussion) For the human creature, life outside the garden is uniquely characterized by ______.

choices.

(Clarke and Jonah Discussion) After the biblical God decides to show compassion to Nineveh, the capitol city of Assyria, the Assyrians _______.

come down in force and wipe ten of the twelve tribes of Israel off the face of the earth.

(Clarke and Jonah Discussion) After the biblical God decides to show compassion to Nineveh, the capitol city of Assyria, the Assyrians ________.

come down in force and wipe ten of the twelve tribes of Israel off the face of the earth.

(Lecture 5-B) Any serious attempt to begin to understand the biblical God must confront His _________.

decision to protect the first murderer.

(Lecture 2-A) If death is somehow a good thing, then ____.

divine status is tragic.

(Lecture 11-B) Utnapishtim's account of the flood begins ____.

either ironically or with a mistake a schoolboy wouldn't make

(Lecture 13-A) Identify the order in which Noah and his family exited the ark.

father, sons, wife, daughters-in-law

( childhood) Wainright has 2 arguements against the overlords, they are?

freedom and secrecy

(E'numa E'lish/Book) Humanity is created ________.

from the blood and guts of Kingu.

biblical god is scene as

good

cherbuin shapes like human form-

hands(male) calves- and wings 2 sets of 2 - also move only back and fourth

(Epic of Gilgamesh/Book) What civilizes Enkidu?

having sex with a prostitute

(The Old Man and the Sea/Book) Which of Santiago's body parts continuously threatens to betray him?

his left hand

(Hemingway Discussion) Santiago's self-definition is rooted in _________.

his vitality.

(Clarke and Jonah Discussion) Childhood's End and the Book of Jonah share in common the perspective that ______.

humankind has good reason to complain about it's predicament.

(Clarke and Jonah Discussion) Childhood's End and the Book of Jonah share in common the perspective that ________.

humankind has good reason to complain about it's predicament.

(Lecture 12-A) Moses, whose "eyes were undimmed [and whose] vigor was unabated" when he was removed from history by his God, _________.

in effect, has access to the Tree of Life.

opening word does not mean beginning it means ______.

in the first principle

(Lecture 10-A) The two names for the Mountain of God ________.

indicate the extent to which the biblical God's presence destroys vegetation.

(Lecture 11-A) Given the opening frame of the biblical story of the flood, what is the most likely origin of the cherubim?

interspecies copulation

(Lecture 9-A) According to the biblical storytellers, the Tree of Life ________.

is both in the Eden and outside of the Eden

(Koheleth Discussion) Control over the antimonies that punctuate the human condition (i.e., birth/death, growth/debilitation, laughter/tears) ________.

is not humanly possible.

(Lecture 15-B) One of the decisive differences between the terms "kavash" and "radah"

is the presence or absence of technology

(Lecture 12-B) Ham is the second son of Noah; and yet, our translation has Noah refer to him as his "youngest" son. Identify the Hebrew term used here.

katan

How long was Utnapishtim on the ark?

less than 2 weeks

(Lecture 15-A) What does the Hebrew word "tzelem" denote?

physical similarity

The response of YHWH to the copulative activities of His "sons"...

points forward in time to a most significant character

("On Loving the Truth" Slideshow) Upon receiving notice that the Church intended to excommunicate him, Tolstoy _________.

quoted Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

(Lecture 5-A) What is most needed to support a theoretical hypothesis?

relevant evidence

(Childhood's End/Book) According to Karellen, what can destroy religion by ignoring it and disproving its tenets?

science

(Childhood) In what ways is the golden age bad for humanity? good?

scientific progress comes to standstill- curiousity and creativity goes away; it is good because it raises the standard of living for the people

(Lecture 14-B) The narrator gives no explicit reason for Noah's release of the raven. The hidden reason may ______.

take the reader to the east.

(Lecture 4-A) The bolting rays of lightning which come from Moses' forehead ___.

terrify the Israelites.

(Lecture 14-A) In regularly referring to the Hebrew Bible as "God's Word," the Jewish Tradition indicated _______.

that there is nothing in the biblical text which is without import.

(Lecture 10-B) Nimrod was a rebel against...

the biblical God

(Seven Days of Creation Discussion) Day Seven of creation is separated from the other six days of creation in that, on this day, _______.

the biblical God ceases creating

("On Writing and Catching" Slideshow) The Book of Ecclesiastes presents itself as a critique of ______.

the biblical God, since He demonstrates an appalling lack of justice.

(Lecture 12-B) The story of the universal flood, located in the Hebrew Bible, is larger and more complicated than the version in the Epic of Gilgamesh because _______.

the biblical author had to deal with the version in the Epic of Gilgamesh.

(Lecture 2-B) When we read a book like the Hebrew Bible, the most important assumption we make about it is that ________.

the biblical text is intelligible in every way.

(childhood) what was humans last attempt at preserving independence and creativity?

the creation of new athens

(Lecture 13-B) The behavior of the sons of elohim may point to _______.

the eternal loneliness of the biblical God.

(Lecture 12-A) Herman Melville's Typee and Omoo were referred to in order to illustrate __________.

the inhumanity of Protestant and Catholic missionaries in Polynesia.

(Childhood) what indicated the end of human civilization and striving?

the loss and destruction of childrens humanity

(Lecture 15-B) Cain's relationship with demon sin is similar to _____.

the male's relationship with the female.

(Genesis 2:4b-3:24/Book) Who names the beasts in Genesis 2?

the man

(Eden Story Discussion) Not until after first man and first woman eat the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of the Good and the Bad do they have

the need to employ technology.

(Lecture 14-A) In the release of the birds episodes in the Epic and in Genesis, _______.

the raven is not sent out to gather information

Which of the following statements is true with respect to the serpent?

the serpent is capable of ironic communication

(Clarke and Jonah Discussion) Which of the following is an example of the biblical God's chesed?

the sparing of the animals in Nineveh

(Eden Story Discussion) A significant difference between the two trees in the garden is that...

there is a warning from God against eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge but no such prohibition against eating from the Tree of Life

(Eden Story Discussion) A significant difference between the two trees in the garden is that _____.

there is a warning from God against eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge but no such prohibition against eating from the Tree of Life.

(Childhood's End/Book) According to Clarke's story, the destiny of humankind is ______.

to join the collective consciousness of the Overmind.

(Lecture 13-B) The opening frame of the flood story would seem _____.

to question the biblical God's role as Father.

(Lecture 3-A) Santiago's dream world makes one think of ______.

tourists.

(Hemingway Discussion) When Hemingway wrote, "I always try to write on the principle of the iceberg," he pointed the reader to the fact that _________.

what doesn't "show" in his writing is of the greatest significance.

when they were given the right to kill animals for food what was the restriction?

you cant eat the blood

The only activity of Aristotle's God (The unmoved mover) is to think only of itself. The biblical god

All of the above

Utapishtim gets message of the flood from ______.

An incubation dream

To be human means to...

Be in pain because of our knowledge of dying and death & the separation we must endure between the living & the dead

Why does Gilgamesh turn Ishtar down?

Because he feels the meaning of life is to attain glory & to attain glory one must be alone

(Tolstoy Discussion) Tolstoy and Ivan Ilych hold the following in common: _______.

Both men lived in a dissolute way for some time, characterized by eating and drinking well, gambling, and a profligate lifestyle.

("On the Quest for Understanding" Slideshow) Idenitfy the interpretation given for the Zen master's statement: "When I was in such and such a place, I bought a very substantial robe."

By giving an irrelevant response, the Master reminds the interlocutor that answers are best found by looking within.

Identify the interpretation given for the Zen masters statement: "When i was in such and such a place, I bought a very substantial robe".

By giving an irrelevent response, the master reminds the interlocutor that answers are best found by looking within

Unlike the criticism leveled at the divine community in the epic of gilgamesh "eg. comparing the gods to wet dogs and swarming flies", the biblical author _____.

Conveys criticisms in between the lines

pagans view on death

Death is the problem; gods are mean spirited

(E'numa E'lish/Book) How does Apsu die?

Ea kills him

(Lecture 14-B) How was the great prophet Elijah brought into the analysis of the release of the birds in the flood stories?

Elijah was fed by ravens.

("On Loving the Truth" Slideshow) True or False? Samuel Taylor Coleridge criticized those who love anything more than Christianity.

False

(Course Organization Discussion) True or False? In a religion course, unlike courses in the sciences, it is not necessary to adduce relevant evidence in support of hypotheses because religion is founded on the principles of belief and faith, which come into play when evidence is absent.

False

(E'numa E'lish Discussion) True or False? A common thread between the pagan and biblical visions is the high esteem and emphasis each tradition places on the role of friendship.

False

(E'numa E'lish Discussion) True or False? The pagan vision downgrades friendship and promotes genetic and marital relationships while the inverse is true of the biblical vision.

False

(Ecclesiastes/Book) True or False? The author of Ecclesiastes suggests the weirdness of life will eventually be made more intelligible in the afterlife.

False

(Koheleth Discussion) True or False? According to the author of the Book of Ecclesiastes, the uncanny nature of life is not God's fault.

False

What birds, in what order are released in Gilgamesh's version of the flood?

Female dove is released & returns to ark, Female swallow is released, Male Raven is released ascends circles caws eats and repeats

What are the biblical texts?

Genesis 1-9, Koheleth, & Jonah

(Genesis 2:4b-3:24/Book) Who planted the garden?

God

(Lecture 1-A) Naomi ("pleasant") in changing her name to Marah ("bitter") blames her _______.

God

Ishtar

God of fertility, wants sexual favors from Gilgamesh

( Childhood) what happens to religion?

Gone

What happened to Noah after the flood?

He discovered alcohol (wine), got drunk & his son castrated him

Once Karellen completed his mission to earth he was filled with sorrow because _______.

He lacked the ability to govern his own destiny despite his superior intellect and technologies

(Releasing of the Birds Text/Genesis) What did Noah do before he released the birds?

He opened the hatch which he had made.

(Lecture 10-A) How does Elijah find the Mountain of God?

He walks in circles for forty days and forty nights.

What happened to Utnapishtim after the flood?

He was removed from history & the Gods placed him far east, made him mortal, and he was not subject to aging

What is the second type of interspecies copulation?

Humans have sex with animals, no offspring is created but there are beings above that have animal parts (wings)

it is a pagan notion to say mother earlth _________

Is alive

(Lecture 9-B) What character is most associated with the River Pishon?

Ishmael

(Eden Story Discussion) What benefit seems to be associated with eating the fruit of the Tree of Life?

It acts as a tonic of rejuvenation, warding off disease, debilitation, and death

(Eden Story Discussion) What benefit seems to be associated with eating the fruit, of the Tree of Life?

It acts as a tonic of rejuvenation, warding off disease, debilitation, and death.

(Releasing of the Birds Text/Genesis) How much time elapsed between Noah's release of the raven and Noah's release of the first dove?

It isn't clear.

(E'numa E'lish/Book) How does the act of creation begin?

It spontaneously is generated by the intermingling of salt water and sweet water.

("The Death of Ivan Ilych"/Book) Why did Ivan Ilych decide to marry Proskovya after she fell in love with him?

It was the socially appropriate thing to do.

According to the bible, what are we to do when faced with the inevitability of death?

Learning how to live is what is important enough to die for, 1+1=1, Find a mate, love him/her & have children

(Lecture 3-A) Is Santiago really an "old" man?

Maybe; Hemingway is forcing the reader to consider what old means.

How long was Noah on the ark?

More than 11 months

What is Gilgamesh's quest for glory?

Mortality, to overcome death & be a god

Does Gilgamesh give a reason for the flood?

No

(Lecture 15-B) Why does Mother Earth disobey the biblical God?

No reason is given explicitly.

(Lecture 10-B) Why does the prophet Elijah wish to die?

Only by dying can he get his God to stop talking to him.

It could be called an irony of circumstance that ____________.

Raising a question is unproductive unless you already know the answer to the question

bereshit means

Seperation

(Epic of Gilgamesh/Book) Why does Ishtar send the Bull of Heaven to Gilgamesh?

She was upset because Gilgamesh rejected her proposal for marriage.

(Genesis 1-2:4a/Book) One part of creation not designated as "good" by God is...

Sky

(Epic of Gilgamesh/Book) Which of the following is true when comparing Genesis, E'numa E'lish, and The Epic of Gilgamesh?

The E'numa E'lish stands out for its lack of a flood myth

("On Writing and Catching" Slideshow) Identify the ironic paradox present at the beginning of The Book of Ecclesiastes.

The author observes that life lacks substance and there is nothing we can do about it; but the claim, itself, is substantive.

(Seven Days of Creation Discussion) According to the Tanakh, what items, if any, were pre-existent to creation?

The biblical God, darkness, and primordial waters were already in place before the curtain lifts on creation.

(Seven Days of Creation Discussion) What explanation is offered for the fact that the cosmology in the Book of Genesis does not correspond, scientifically, to what we hold to be the physical structure of the universe today?

The biblical authors do not claim to be presenting a scientific account; rather they address fundamental spiritual truths about the nature of earthly existence.

(Eden Story Discussion) When God separates the first human creature into two parts, ______.

The condition for the love affinity between males and females is created.