View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Sabbath think that Michelle is trying to communicate to him by what she is wearing?

2. How is Norman described when Sabbath sees him?

3. Which of the following items did Sabbath keep locked away in a file cabinet at the college where he worked?

4. Which of the following historical figures does Sabbath mention when Michelle asks him why he pushes everyone away?

5. At the end of Part 8, what does Sabbath do at the beach?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Part 8, why does Sabbath go to the cemetery?

2. Who was Helen Trumbull?

3. What does Sabbath notice in Fish's house?

4. What was the scandal that caused Sabbath to lose his job at the college?

5. How does Sabbath convince Michelle to have an affair with him?

6. What story does Norman encourage Sabbath to tell Michelle at dinner?

7. Why does Norman invite Sabbath to stay with him?

8. When Rosa arrives, what is Sabbath's excuse for the mess that he has made with Deborah's clothes?

9. On the first night of his stay with the Cowans, why is Sabbath in such a good mood at dinner?

10. Why are a few pages of Part 6 written without punctuation?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Christa and Drenka are both in similar situations when Sabbath meets them. What enables Sabbath to take advantage of them? How does each woman react to Sabbath? Why do they react differently? What makes them both attractive to Sabbath? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 2

Throughout the novel, it is obvious that Sabbath is obsessed with sex. Why? Does Sabbath know of any other ways to be close to people? What is he seeking and hoping to gain via his sexual encounters with women? Is Sabbath conscious of the psychology that relates to his obsession with sex? Why or why not? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

The letters that Sabbath finds in the box of Morty's personal possessions mirror the ones that Roseanna's father had written to her before his suicide. What are some of the similarities between those two sets of letters? What are the significant differences? How is the manner in which Sabbath treats his brother's letters different from the way in which he treats the letters that were written by Roseanna's father? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 910 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample