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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. Gali tells the members of his ballet company often that their "movements must have" (85) what?

2. How old is Varya upon the opening of the novel's prologue?

3. What reason does Klara state for not calling the family to notify them of Simon's illness?

4. What requirement does Klara have for the nightclubs at which she will perform?

5. What type of business does Saul own?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. Which of the Gold siblings is the most apprehensive about the prospect of visiting the fortune teller and why?

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

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

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

8. What do the Gold children bring to the fortune teller as payment for her services and why?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Determine the author's message regarding the idea that everyone's fate is predetermined. If she does not approve, prove it with evidence from the text and discuss the actions she presents as alternatives. If she does approve, prove it with evidence from the text and discuss the justification she provides for such an extreme position.

Essay Topic 2

Explicate the theme of family bonds within the novel, particularly in relation to the Gold siblings and their parents. What is the author's message regarding family bonds and how do you know?

Essay Topic 3

William Faulkner once famously claimed that the most important literature deals with the subject of the human heart in conflict with itself. Explain how the theme of Human versus Self is demonstrated within Chloe Benjamin's The Immortalists. Create a decisive, arguable claim and prove it with quotes from the book.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,323 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample