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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. What does Buddy get in trouble with law for doing?

2. What new piece of art does Boomer create?

3. What surprises Raoul about Ellen Cherry's appearance?

4. Who destroys the temple?

5. Who sends Ellen Cherry flowers?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain the symbolism of the I & I.

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

3. Dirty Sock seems to the be the only one of the objects who takes on a particular human's personality. Whose personality does Dirty Sock usurp and do you think this is significant in some way?

4. Why does Boomer turn an airstream into a Turkey?

5. The first line in this section is "the pendulum swung yet again." It is referring to Can 'o Beans account of religious history. What does this suggest about religion?

6. Describe the sculpture that Boomer is bringing to Jerusalem to reassemble.

7. When Buddy goes to answer a knock at his door, he has an erection from reading about a Christian wife who goes to bed with her make-up on. What does this incident tell us about Buddy?

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. The fifth veil has to do with removing the illusion of the value of money. Is money's value really an illusion? Explain why or why not.

10. One of Abu Hadee's favorite quotes is "A shadow does not belong to the object that casts it." What do you think of the significance of this? How does it relate to the rest of the novel so far?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

All the objects, except Can 'o Beans, are given a gender. Provide an analysis of the objects in terms of gender and consider why Can 'o Beans is left genderless. What qualities do each object represent? Are these characteristics typically associated with the gender that object is assigned?

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.

(see the answer keys)

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