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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. Reuven tells Reb Saunders of his plans to become what in Chapter 18?

2. Reb Saunders talks about how he was blessed with a brilliant son, but the brilliant son had no what, in Chapter 18?

3. Danny Saunders’ psychology professor explains to him that no one scientist is what in Chapter 13?

4. Reuven's father says in Chapter 13, "...the fanaticism of men like Reb Saunders kept us alive for” how many years of exile?

5. What declines considerably at Reuven’s college after the memorial for a fallen graduate in Chapter 15?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the significance of Danny’s discussion of silence in Chapter 17?

2. How does David Malter defend the actions of Reb Saunders in Chapter 13?

3. How does the death of a Hirsch College graduate affect Reuven and his fellow classmates in Chapter 15?

4. What is the setting and time period of Chapter 15? How does Danny reemerge in Reuven’s life?

5. What does Danny discuss in depth with Professor Appleman in Chapter 13?

6. How are the religious studies and lifestyles of Reuven and Danny juxtaposed in Chapter 10?

7. How does the synagogue respond when Reb Saunders announces Danny’s plans for his education in Chapter 18?

8. What is the central conflict in Chapter 14? How does Reuven feel about Danny’s absence?

9. What does Reuven’s father compare Danny Saunders to in Chapter 17?

10. How do Reuven and Danny spend their first month of summer in Chapter 10?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the impact of D-Day on the characters in the novel in Chapter 3. How does Reuven respond to this historical event? What does Reuven’s father believe that D-Day indicates for the future of the Jewish People? What does Danny’s father think?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the setting of Williamsburg, Brooklin in the 1930s. What ethnic and religious groups lived principally in this neighborhood at the time? How inclusive is Reuven’s neighborhood? What is a “brownstone” and how are these houses set up? How wealthy is Reuven’s family?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the theme of identity in the novel. How is identity developed thematically in Reuven and Danny? How does it apply to the character of Reb Saunders? What symbolism reflects this theme in the narrative?

(see the answer keys)

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