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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is the alleged miracle the Verlin and Patsy bring Buddy to see?
(a) A potato in the image of Jesus.
(b) The image of Jesus on a refridgerator.
(c) The reincarnation of Jesus.
(d) A statue of Jesus crying real tears.

2. What frustrates Boomer about people's reaction to the Turkey?
(a) They keep praising it.
(b) They don't understand why he makes it.
(c) They want to go inside it.
(d) They keep wanting to touch it.

3. What resolve does Ellen Cherry make with regard to her art as a result of Boomer's successful art show?
(a) To paint one picture every day.
(b) To be more dedicated.
(c) To begin sculpting instead of painting.
(d) To quit.

4. The only time we see Buddy at home, what is he doing that is unusual for him?
(a) Reading a book.
(b) Playing cards.
(c) Talking on the phone.
(d) Consulting the bible.

5. After Boomer picks Ellen Cherry up in the Turkey, where do they go?
(a) They don't know.
(b) New York.
(c) California.
(d) Back home.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Ellen Cherry do while she watches Turn Around Norman?

2. What kind of a stand does Roland Abu Hadee open?

3. What happens to Spike Cohen?

4. What is Boomer's sculpture in the Fifth Veil constructed out of?

5. After Ellen Cherry gets advice from her bosses, who does she go to for inspiration?

Short Essay Questions

1. The Third Veil turns out to be the veil of political illusion. Robbins says that politics is "the compulsion to preside over property and make other people's decisions for them." He says that liberty can't be a result of political action. In what ways does this seem true and in what ways not true?

2. Robbins writes, "Those people who recognize that imagination is reality's master, we call 'sages', and those who act upon it, we call 'artists.'" What do you think he means by this and why is the distinction important?

3. Verlin, Patsy, and Buddy go to see a "miracle", which turns out to be nothing more than a shadow on a freezer. What does an incident like this seem to say about people's relationship to religion and mystery? Does it cast a reflection on Buddy's miracle?

4. What do you think is significant about the fact that Boomer and Ellen Cherry wake up Painted Stick and Conch Shell?

5. Can 'o Beans says that "imprecise speech is one of the major causes of mental illness in human beings." What do you think is meant by this?

6. What do we learn about Patsy, Ellen Cherry's mother in the section called "The First Veil"?

7. Describe Ellen Cherry's eye game.

8. At the end of this section, Buddy avoids getting a speeding ticket by using his saxophone voice and preaching to the police officer. Is this realistic and why do you think Robbins includes it in the story?

9. Describe why Boomer says he feels guilty about his success as an artist.

10. What is the relationship between the first veil that is revealed and the actions of the novel so far?

(see the answer keys)

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