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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. How did Sabbath feel about the manner in which Nikki handled her mother's death?

2. What surprised Matija enough to cause him to end his conversation with Sabbath?

3. At the end of Part 3, who is at Drenka's grave when Sabbath arrives there?

4. Why does Sabbath only visit Drenka's grave at night?

5. How did Sabbath run into Matija?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are some of the reasons that are detailed in Part 3 about Sabbath and his wife "hating" one another?

2. On what occasion did Sabbath first see Matija in public?

3. How does Sabbath feel when Matija tells him about the sympathy cards that he received for Drenka's death?

4. Why did Sabbath choose to leave New York?

5. Why does Norman Cowan call Sabbath at the beginning of Part 3?

6. Why does Drenka after so long, suddenly demand that Sabbath be faithful to her?

7. Why does Sabbath live off of Roseanna's salary?

8. What does Sabbath like and dislike about Roseanna's participation in Alcoholics Anonymous?

9. What role did Roseanna play in Sabbath's puppet theater?

10. How is Sabbath described in Part 1?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Sabbath lost all interest in directing when Nikki disappeared. Why? What was so different about directing when he no longer had Nikki as his leading lady? Would Sabbath have continued to direct if Nikki had stayed? Would there have been any future in it for him? Why or why not? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 2

Sabbath has been married twice: to Nikki, and then to Roseanna. What qualities do his two wives have in common? What attracted them to Sabbath? What attracted Sabbath to them? Why did Sabbath choose to marry them, despite the fact that he seems incapable of love? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

In the novel, most of what Sabbath says is framed as biting sarcasm. But how much truth underlies his type of "humor"? What is the author trying to accomplish by framing Sabbath's attitudes and comments in a sarcastic fashion? Is it to merely entertain the reader? Or is there other significance to that method? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

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