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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 feat does Klara tell Simon will be the main event within her magic show?

2. What is the name of the Gold siblings' paternal grandfather?

3. Whose shift does Simon cover when he "wakes up with a red dot on the white of his left eye"? (86)

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

5. How many floors are contained in the building where the Gold siblings seek out the fortune teller?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What evidence does the author provide for the claim that the Gold children in 1969 "are siblings, this summer, in a way they never will be again" (4)?

3. How is repetition employed within the opening passage of Part Two:Proteus and to what effect?

4. How does the author depict Simon's mixed feelings about his mother's decision to relinquish him at the police station?

5. What differences between Robert and Simon does the author depict as those that drive Simon to cheat on Robert?

6. Who is the first of the Gold siblings to hear about the fortune teller and what action does this sibling then take?

7. How did the Gold children's maternal grandmother die and why are the children adults before they find out this information?

8. How do the Purp employees and owners react to the news of Harvey Milk's assassination and how do they take action?

9. 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?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the novel The Immortalists from an Existential perspective. What elements of life does it suggest hold the most meaning and why?

Essay Topic 2

What is the novel's message concerning the link between fate and free will?

Essay Topic 3

Trace the characterization arc of Varya’s character throughout the novel. Discuss whether she is a round or flat character and whether she is a static or dynamic character.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,297 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample