View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What great tragedy happened to Elisha's family?

2. Why does Deborah encourage Elisha to curry the Shraga's favor?

3. What sort of people does Elisha find himself in the company of after accepting an invitation to dinner by one of the rhetoricians?

4. Where is Elisha sent, as a sage, to sit in court over a controversial issue?

5. When Elisha is going back to Nicholaus, what does he overhear his father say to Uncle Amram?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Part One, Chapter V, how did Elisha feel about attending the Sanhedrin for the first time?

2. Why did the merchant's business suffer after taking his case to the Roman courts?

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

4. What does Nicholaus, Elisha's tutor, look like?

5. Which friend of Elisha's is better at processing the Greek literature than the other two? Why?

6. In Part One, Chapter XX, what advice does Nicholaus give to Elisha about Elisha's obsession with Greek literature?

7. Why are Akiba and the two Simeons uncomfortable talking to Elisha about Greek literature?

8. How does Shraga treat Elisha when they're working on the merchant's court case together?

9. Who eavesdrops on a conversation between Elisha and Meir, and what does she discover?

10. In Part One, Chapter X, does Elisha seem happy? Why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

Why do you think Manto is so casual about picking another human slave? Why is Elisha so disturbed by the process of human trade? Compare Manto's behavior with a similar behavior in American history. Draw conclusions about the nature of subjugating another human being and how this affects the human race.

Essay Topic 3

Describe Pappas's journey through faith. Compare and contrast Pappas's journey with Elisha's journey of faith. How do both characters view the concepts of faith and reason? Why does Pappas make his final decision to die as a Jew rather than betray his faith and community?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 922 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample