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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. Where are Elisha and Pappas going when they run into Theo?

2. What does Manto decide Elisha should do, after she becomes involved in his quest?

3. Who does Elisha find, to his delight and surprise, in Caeserea?

4. Why is Elisha ashamed when he watches the spectacle at the local arena where men and lions kill each other?

5. Whose mother dies soon after childbirth?

Short Essay Questions

1. Do you think Elisha manipulated his friends to study Greek literature for his own purposes?

2. How does Simeon ben Azzai die?

3. Why is Manto so casual about buying another human slave?

4. What did Elisha drop in his Jewish academy class?

5. Do you think Shraga is right to rebel against the Roman government and fight for his beliefs?

6. After the ex-communication of Elisha was read at Sanhedrin, what did Joshua do?

7. What do the two famous sages, Eliezer and Joshua, discuss at Elisha's circumcision ceremony?

8. How does Elisha respond to the death of Beruriah and Meir's children?

9. Why was Elisha and Deborah's marriage pre-arranged by Amram?

10. Why does one rabbi give the opinion that wisdom cannot be found in pagan literature?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Within the various communities of As a Driven Leaf, knowledge seems to be a precious commodity held in high regard. Is it possible that there are universal truths, or is truth subjective to culture? Explain by using three examples that relate to the teachings of the Jewish tradition and the Sanhedrin, as well as the lessons and literature of the Greeks.

Essay Topic 2

After the ex-communication, Akiba randomly meets Elisha on the road. However, Akiba does not speak to Elisha because he is honoring the orders of the ex-communication. Is Akiba's behavior too drastic? Should the bonds of friendship be more important than the bonds of law? Cite three examples from the book when friendship and rules are at odds.

Essay Topic 3

When Meir and Beruriah's sons die, Elisha thinks about the fragility of life. Elisha looks to Jewish stories and traditions for solace, but he begins to doubt their veracity. Why does Elisha look to the Jewish traditions and literature for comfort? Why does he doubt their potency and truth? Cite three examples of mistrust of faith throughout the novel and explain the tensions characters have between faith and reason.

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