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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. Who do Kitty and Sabine encounter at the store in #112?

2. In Sabine's dream, what is Phan's profession?

3. What does Dot do to help Sabine pass some time?

4. How does Dot feel about how she handled the family situation after her husband was killed?

5. Who had released Parsifal from the locked location?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Sabine wonder about the residents of Alliance as they drive Bertie to the emergency room?

2. How does Bertie and Haas' behavior at the hospital remind Sabine of Parsifal and Phan?

3. What are the circumstances in which Kitty kisses Sabine?

4. Who are Kitty's sons and what do they find fascinating about Sabine?

5. What does Sabine discover when she explores Parsifal's childhood room?

6. What does Sabine make of the kiss from Kitty?

7. How do the stories about Albert Fetters make Sabine realize that Parsifal did what he had to do in order to survive?

8. What does Sabine finally see in the Tonight Show performance?

9. Why does Dot take Sabine to the top of a knoll?

10. How does the kiss from Kitty give Sabine some satisfaction over Howard and his threatening behavior?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Does Patchett end the story on a note of hope for Sabine or the continuance of her struggle to come to terms with the loss of Parsifal in her life? Give your perspective and two reasons to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Describe the role of the family in THE MAGICIAN'S ASSISTANT. What does it mean for each of the main characters? How does the family evolve in its support of each other? How typical is this family to most families living during the late 20th century? How does the triangular relationship between Parsifal, Phan and Sabine consist of a family of sorts?

Essay Topic 3

Explain the ongoing conflict between Howard and the rest of the Fetters family. What are the main sources of the conflicts? Why does it perpetuate? Why does Howard feel a special conflict with Sabine?

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