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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. When the reviewers attack the Brooklyn Crucifixions, Anna Schaeffer calls them what name?

2. Which subject shows up on Asher's schedule without his having requested it?

3. In the Brooklyn Crucifixions, what structure forms the crucifix?

4. What is the setting of the beginning of Chapter 14?

5. Where does Asher move when Rivkeh goes to Europe to be with Aryeh?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Asher's surroundings while he lives with Jacob Kahn in Provincetown.

2. How does the Rav Dorochoff react to Asher's calling him in the middle of the night?

3. Describe the Brooklyn Crucifixions.

4. What types of paintings does Jacob Kahn emphasize in his trips with Asher to the Metropolitan Museum of Art? Why?

5. At the end of Chapter 8, where is Aryeh?

6. What does Rivkeh learn from a professor at her university about Jacob Kahn?

7. Why does the Rebbe want Asher to study Russian?

8. Describe how Anna Schaeffer looks.

9. What objects does Asher notice in his parents' bedroom?

10. Why does Asher begin carrying messages for the Rebbe?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Asher eventually comes to realize that his mythic ancestor betrayed the Jewish community just as he also is betraying the community. Explain this relationship. How does this affect the way Asher feels about his mythic ancestor and about his heritage? Does it make Asher less fearful of his mythic ancestor, or does the mythic ancestor always have a grip of terror on Asher's dream life? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

By the end of the book, the Rebbe believes that Asher has gone too far in his artwork and is now hurting those who love him, although he claims to understand Asher's work. Do you think the Rebbe would have preferred Asher to stay within the acceptable limits of the Ladover Hasidic faith? What do you imagine a reasonable Ladover Hasidic artist would paint? Try to imagine and explain some symbols other than the crucifixion that Asher could have used to convey ultimate suffering, symbols that would have been better received by Asher's community.

Essay Topic 3

The book does not directly address Asher's love life, but it does offer hints, such as Asher's mention of "greetings" with a girl in Paris. In the Ladover community, marriages are arranged through families, although the bride and groom may also offer their consent. Describe Rivkeh's talking to Asher about the possibility of finding a wife. How does Asher handle this discussion? How do you think Asher would unite his duties to art with his duties to a potential wife and children? Explain.

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