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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 Gertie say to Simon on the phone just before she hangs up on him?

2. What is the one thing Simon tells Daniel when he calls him for the first time since leaving home?

3. Before Gertie met Saul, it is said by the narrator that she had wanted to be a what?

4. What two items does Varya keep taped to the wall next to her bed?

5. On what street in New York City do the Gold siblings seek the fortune teller?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is the theme of guilt depicted within Gertie's feelings about her son after his death?

2. What is the significance of Klara's feelings about the phenomenon of red tide?

3. What is the author's purpose for using the allusion to The Statue of Liberty when depicting the children's grandfather Lev?

4. The narrator takes pains to explain that Klara does not share her magic with people in order to deceive them. What is her true reason?

5. How does Robert's story about his friend Dante demonstrate the themes of violence and hate?

6. What is the symbolism of the sequins that turn up everywhere inside Klara's home?

7. Describe the significance of Simon's dream about salmon and how it relates to his mindset at the time of his dream.

8. When the narrator reveals that Raj has "big plans" (113) for overhauling Klara's act, what kind of changes does the narrator depict?

9. Compare Varya's ideas about fortune telling with Ruby Singh's.

10. What does the narrator mean when describing Simon's impression of the Castro district as being like a "fallout shelter" (79)?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How is the topic of revolution treated within the novel and how does its treatment relate to the book's depicted eras?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the author's focus on the theme of transformation. What message is the author sending about change and about one other theme of your choice?

Essay Topic 3

Write a critical essay about the novel while using the critical power theory lens of feminist theory. Use textual evidence to back up your strong, specific claim regarding the novel's treatment of gender roles, the objectification of women, female empowerment, misogyny's role within society, or any other issues related to feminist theory that can be found in the book.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,358 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample