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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. Kitty tells Sabine that having Sabine around is like ______________________.

2. What does Dot do when Kitty and her family go home?

3. What does the person in #85 think Sabine will want to do today?

4. What is Howard's last name?

5. How can Kitty's husband best be described?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do Sabine's views of the world differ from Dot's perspective?

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

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

4. What is the result of Howard's feeling foolish during the magic trick?

5. What makes Sabine think about her father when Kitty speaks to her about her own boys?

6. How is Parsifal's true past so different from the one Sabine had always envisioned?

7. Who is Howard Plate and what can be assumed by his behavior?

8. What is so unique about Sabine's trip to Wal-Mart?

9. Why does Sabine realize a newfound respect for Howard?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

THE MAGICIAN'S ASSISTANT is a classic story of loss and renewal. What does that classification entail? Why does this novel fit into this category? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

Denial seems to be almost an unnamed character in the book. How pervasive is the sense of denial? Why does it have such a prevalent place in the lives of the characters? Explain how an inanimate object or characteristic can be a character.

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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