View a FREE sample

This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Part One: You'd Dance, Kid, Chapters 7-9 and Part Two: Proteus, Chapters 10-14.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In contrast to her brothers' bar mitzvahs, Klara's bat mitzvah takes place not individually but in a group of how many girls?
(a) 10.
(b) 7.
(c) 3.
(d) 6.

2. When a policeman asks Simon to come to the San Francisco police station, what does he tell Simon is the purpose of his visit?
(a) He refuses to tell Simon anything about its purpose.
(b) He tells Simon that he is under suspicion for two recent robberies.
(c) He tells Simon that he is suspected of vehicular manslaughter.
(d) He tells Simon that he needs to file for legal emancipation.

3. In what year does the novel's prologue begin?
(a) 1969.
(b) 1982.
(c) 1978.
(d) 1960.

4. What is the name of the Gold siblings' paternal grandfather?
(a) Lev.
(b) Sid.
(c) Benjamin.
(d) Carl.

5. From what college does Gertie withdraw when she becomes pregnant with Saul's child at age 20?
(a) Yale University.
(b) Brown University.
(c) New York University.
(d) Stanford University.

Short Answer Questions

1. What San Francisco district does Simon describe as feeling "like a fallout shelter" (79) amidst the unrest elsewhere in the world?

2. The title of the novel refers to what aspect of its plot?

3. What is the address of the Gold family's apartment?

4. What do Klara and Varya find inside the lacquered box in Gertie's lingerie drawer?

5. Who spends the night with Simon in Ward 86 once he is diagnosed with the illness that will come to be known as AIDS?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 291 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample