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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. In admiring Asher's first work of art in the Kahn studio, Jacob Kahn calls the work what?

2. Jacob Kahn compares his sculpting of Asher to which famous piece of art?

3. Which college does Asher plan to attend?

4. In Chapter 13, what does Asher mention having for lunch regularly?

5. In Chapter 13, after having viewed the Pieta, Asher draws a man surrounded by what?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Jacob Kahn respond when Asher asks him if the artist he had just visited was happy?

2. What does Asher do for the summer while Jacob Kahn campaigns for Kennedy?

3. In Chapter 13, Asher's understanding of his mythic ancestor changes. What does Asher realize about him?

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

5. Describe how Anna Schaeffer looks.

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

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

8. Before meeting with Jacob Kahn for the first time, Asher receives an assignment from him to read a story from the New Testament. What is the story? How does Asher feel about reading it?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout the novel, Asher describes moments of intimacy and estrangement between his parents, such as the intimacy that his parents gain through working in Europe alone together and the estrangement Rivkeh experiences from Aryeh due to Asher's art. Explain some of these moments. Do you think this makes a statement about what a normal marriage is like, or do you think Aryeh and Rivkeh should have treated each other differently? How do you think this affects Asher's development as a person? How does it affect his art?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the Rebbe's relationship with his people. How would you react if you had to ask a leader for permission to make important decisions? How do the Levs react to the Rebbe's wishes?

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the novel, the question arises whether Asher's art is from the Ribbono shel olom, which is a name for God, or from the sitra achra, which is a name for the forces of evil. Asher himself wonders at various times what the source of his art is. Provide some reasons why Asher's art may possibly come from each source, and then explain whether you think Asher's art sides with good or with evil. If you think his art is completely neutral, explain why. Use specific examples from the novel.

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