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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. After Angier would disappear for a moment in his most famous trick, where would he reappear?

2. What does Olive confess to Borden that she originally came to him for?

3. What does Andrew suspect about himself, but has never told anyone?

4. What child did Kate meet when she was younger?

5. At the end of Section 2, Alfred states he will not reveal his secret so long as what?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Angier's first attempts at performing illusions on stage.

2. What attempts does Borden make to reconcile with Angier in Section 5, Part 2, and why?

3. Why does Angier's In A Flash illusion make Borden so angry?

4. Who does the narrator of Section 6, Part 3 remember coming to their childhood home, and what was significant about the room the narrator's memory took place in?

5. Describe the situation of Angier an Borden's first meeting.

6. What does Alfred write about his secret in Section 2?

7. What does Borden describe in Section 4, Part 2 about the act accompanying his New Transported Man trick?

8. What is the story of the Chinese magician that Alfred shares?

9. Who is John Henry Anderson, and what was his relationship with Alfred?

10. After Angier dies, what does Borden write that he remembers about Angier's appearance the night of his performance in America?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the organizational structure of The Prestige and how that affects the reader's experience.

Essay Topic 2

When and how was Borden introduced to magic? What information about this time in his childhood does he chose to reveal in his journal entries, and what does this reveal to readers about Bordon?

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast Borden's most famous illusion, the New Transported Man, to Angier's most famous illusion, In A Flash. How did each illusion evolve through the book? How was each performed?

(see the answer keys)

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