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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 does Yankel write his life history?

2. Throughout the novel, who is Jonathan looking for?

3. How do the people celebrate Trachimday?

4. In "The Lottery, 1791," what is the name of the synagogue where the Rabbi does NOT want the baby to go?

5. Yankel was once known by what other name?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Alex agree to go to Lutsk? Use the book to aid in your response.

2. Describe how Yankel's feels when he finds out that he is going to be a father.

3. Alex compares his father's abuse to the search for Augustine. In what ways are they similar?

4. What is the relationship between Grandfather and Jonathan?

5. Name two things Alex claims to be, but that we might suspect he is exaggerating. Explain your response.

6. Why does Brod think she is the float queen in the Trachimday parade? What is the real reason?

7. In "Falling in Love, 1791 -1796," we learn that Yankel's wife has left him. What are her motivations and what do you think of this?

8. In "Another Lottery, 1791," the town again makes a decision based on a lottery. Describe the two lotteries. What does this seem to suggest about the town?

9. "An Overture to Encountering the Hero" is meant to be humorous. What elements make it funny? Why?

10. What clues tell the reader that Brod is having a vision of the future in "Recurrent Secrets, 1791-1943"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The novel Everything is Illuminated tells three stories. Each story is distinct, yet they all intersect. How are the stories connected? What themes or ideas are prominent in all three? What is the point of each story? Is there a good reason for telling all three stories instead of just one? Is it effective? Discuss why or why not.

Essay Topic 2

To believe in fate is to believe that all things happen for a reason. This also means that we are predestined to do the things we do and that certain events happen to us. Therefore, an occurrence at birth would determine the outcome of the rest of the person's life. Does Jonathan Safran Foer, the author, believe in fate? Defend your response with examples from the novel.

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the novel, there is a theme of responsibility. Every man or woman is somehow responsible for their child's actions. Discuss the concept of a father/mother's responsibility for the their child's actions. Is this true? Give examples from Foer's novel and provide examples from your own life that may show responsibility in family relationships or the lack thereof.

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