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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. At Jacob Kahn's vacation home, in which part of the house does Asher live?

2. For how much do Asher's small paintings sell?

3. In which European city does Asher decide to stay for a year or two?

4. Which college does Asher plan to attend?

5. In Chapter 14 when Asher cannot find his parents, where are they?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Aryeh look like in Chapter 12, after Rivkeh has spent several years with him in Europe?

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

3. Why does Jacob Kahn say that Asher is becoming a whore?

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

5. Describe the Brooklyn Crucifixions.

6. What is the illness that forces Jacob Kahn into bed for a few days?

7. What does Asher draw for his enemy classmate? Describe the picture.

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

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

Asher's changed eyes cause him to experience the world in a unique way. Describe this way of seeing. How does this way of seeing affect his choices for subjects to draw and paint? How does it shape his perspectives on controversial subjects? Use concrete examples, such as the difference between the way he views a nude and the way Aryeh views a nude.

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

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.

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