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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. Why do the objects begin to suspect that Ellen Cherry might be able to help them?

2. To whom do the airstream (that becomes the turkey) originally belong?

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

4. Who dreams about Rebuilding the Temple?

5. Who does Buddy need to get on the phone after he has his vision?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are some ways you can interpret Boomer's spy coat sculpture in which he declares his love for Ellen Cherry in a 500 different encoded messages?

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

3. What does Robbins say about religion at the end of the Fourth Veil?

4. What do we learn about Boomer Petway in the first few sections of the novel?

5. Why do you think that Ellen Cherry wants Boomer to call her "Jezebel" when they are intimate?

6. What does Ellen Cherry mean when she says that "'political art' is a contradiction in terms"?

7. 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?

8. Describe Ellen Cherry's eye game.

9. 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?

10. Do you see any irony in Salome's determination only to do the Dance of the Seven Veils if she can have John the Baptist's head on a platter? Why or why not?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does nature figure into this novel? Consider the instances where people or objects come into contact with nature or natural forces. For example, when the objects are making their way to New York, they encounter several natural obstacles along the way. Do these events (or others that involve contact with nature) have a significance beyond their function in the plot? For example, is the natural world a place where things are possible that aren't in the city? Are the events individually symbolic?

Essay Topic 2

Compare the two stories of Salome. How does the ancient version of Salome compare to the modern version? The ancient Salome performs the Dance of the Seven Veils in exchange for John the Baptist's head on a plate. The modern Salome dances in response to Ellen Cherry's mural during the Super Bowl.

Essay Topic 3

Compare the contrast the two radically different political positions represented by Spike and Abu on the one hand and Buddy on the other. What do they each think about the conflict in the middle east? How do their ideas, both about it's background and the best possible resolution to the conflict, differ? Consider the problem or issue of interpretation in history.

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