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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Where is Klara performing when Simon sees her act for the first time?
(a) At a jazz club in the Fillmore District.
(b) At the public library.
(c) At a bookstore on the Embarcadero.
(d) At Fisherman's Wharf.

2. What do the Gold siblings bring to the fortune teller as payment for her services?
(a) A dead rat.
(b) A sand dollar.
(c) Their mother's set of tarot cards.
(d) Money.

3. What does Klara do with the lacquered box once Gertie appears furious at its absence?
(a) She burns it.
(b) She buries it in a vacant lot.
(c) She hides it in the attic.
(d) She sneaks it back into her mother's drawer.

4. What kind of job does Simon find when he and Klara arrive in San Francisco?
(a) Go-go dancer.
(b) Cook.
(c) Valet.
(d) Bouncer.

5. Who is the youngest sibling in the Gold family?
(a) Simon.
(b) Varya.
(c) Klara.
(d) Daniel.

6. Simon remembers that he had drawn which same-suit cards from the deck during his encounter with the fortune teller?
(a) Four clubs.
(b) Four diamonds.
(c) Four hearts.
(d) Four spades.

7. What action does Benny recommend that Simon take after watching him on Simon's first night working at the bar?
(a) He recommends that Simon grow a beard.
(b) He recommends that Simon take cooking lessons.
(c) He recommends that Simon get his driver's license.
(d) He recommends that Simon take ballet lessons.

8. At what location do Raj and Klara scavenge for wood to build Klara's magician's cabinet?
(a) Ghiradelli Square.
(b) The bookstore called A Clean and Well-lit Place.
(c) In the Haight district.
(d) Fisherman's Wharf.

9. For how long has Klara been performing her magic act when she runs into Raj again?
(a) Six years.
(b) Two years.
(c) Six months.
(d) Three years.

10. Who is the oldest sibling in the Gold family?
(a) Varya.
(b) Daniel.
(c) Simon.
(d) Klara.

11. What job does Gertie take after dropping out of college?
(a) Cook at a restaurant.
(b) Teller at a bank.
(c) Receptionist at a law firm.
(d) Typist at a medical office.

12. Who steps in and stops the policeman's harassment of Simon outside of the police station?
(a) Robert.
(b) Daniel.
(c) Klara.
(d) Gertie.

13. What reason does Klara state for not calling the family to notify them of Simon's illness?
(a) She had not known the depth of Simon's illness.
(b) She did not want to worry Gertie.
(c) Simon had begged her not to.
(d) It was not her right.

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

15. How long after Simon's death is AIDS given its official name?
(a) Six months.
(b) Three days.
(c) Three weeks.
(d) Three months.

Short Answer Questions

1. In what type of venue does Klara NOT perform her act during her early days as a magician?

2. What is NOT listed among the American events the Gold children are excluded from due to their youth?

3. With whom does Simon begin an affair after the two cruise the Castro together?

4. What words does Klara whisper to her audience at the conclusion of every show?

5. How old does Raj say he was when he came from India to the United States?

(see the answer keys)

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