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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. What does the barkeep say his sister sees after having a couple of drinks during the day?

2. What is Ellen Cherry's job in New York?

3. How do Painted Stick and Conch Shell know Jezebel?

4. What does Ellen Cherry resolve with regard to Turn Around Norman?

5. What about Buddy attracts Ellen Cherry?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Ellen Cherry give up her art?

2. Can 'o Beans says that "imprecise speech is one of the major causes of mental illness in human beings." What do you think is meant by this?

3. At the end of this section, Buddy avoids getting a speeding ticket by using his saxophone voice and preaching to the police officer. Is this realistic and why do you think Robbins includes it in the story?

4. What is the relationship between the first veil that is revealed and the actions of the novel so far?

5. What do you think is significant about the fact that Boomer and Ellen Cherry wake up Painted Stick and Conch Shell?

6. Patsy suspects Buddy of seeking fame and fortune through his preaching. Does this seem likely to you, based on what you know so far about Buddy?

7. Describe Ellen Cherry's eye game.

8. Dirty Sock seems to the be the only one of the objects who takes on a particular human's personality. Whose personality does Dirty Sock usurp and do you think this is significant in some way?

9. Do you see any irony in Salome's determination only to do the Dance of the Seven Veils if she can have John the Baptist's head on a platter? Why or why not?

10. Describe Abu Hadee's history, as it's recounted in "The Fourth Veil"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Consider where all the objects end up. Painted Stick and Conch Shell are hiding and waiting for the third temple. Can 'o Beans is left to rust. Spoon is picked up by Boomer and returned to Ellen Cherry. Dirty Sock is still stuck in the Manhattan cathedral. Do their final locations have some kind of symbolic significance? How is each location and/or condition in which the objects are left meaningful in the context of the novel's themes?

Essay Topic 2

Work out a detailed character analysis of Buddy. Consider his political and religious views, his actions, his desires, his past, his physical appearance, and his voice. Is he a consistent character? Can you discover some hint of his psychological condition? What leads him to his radical views? Does he strike you as a realistic character? How does his personality play into the action of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Choose one of the lessons revealed by each veil. Track that theme throughout the book, finding specific examples where it is explored by one or more characters and/or the narrative progression. Is there a linear development, where the character's perception changes over the course of the novel? Or is it simply elaborated and clarified? Does the lesson you chose seem specific to one character or do multiple characters reveal different aspects or possibilities?

(see the answer keys)

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