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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. Two months later, what does Zvi begin to do?

2. Why does Alma think that Mereminski and Litvinoff knew each other as children?

3. After his cousin died, for how long did Leo run the business?

4. Of what is Zvi Litvinoff the author?

5. What does Leo realize when he winds up at Starbucks?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who does Leo find in his apartment when he returns from the library? What does this person say to him?

2. What had Isaac found of his mother's? What do these things make him believe?

3. Why is Leo surprised to see a copy of his book? How does this make him feel?

4. What is known about Alma's parents' marriage?

5. Why does Leo go into an empty bedroom in Bernard's house?

6. What does Leo do when he sees that his son has died?

7. How does Leo feel right before he learns of his son's death?

8. How do Charlotte and Alma deal with David's death?

9. What does Leo notice about this copy of his book?

10. For what does Leo Gursky sign up? What does Bruno think about this?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Alma is named after the Alma in The History of Love.

Part 1) Why is she named after this Alma?

Part 2) How might the fact that Alma Mereminski is Alma Singer's namesake affect Alma Singer? How might it influence choices she makes?

Part 3) What other parallel's exist between Alma Mereminski and Alma Singer, besides their names?

Essay Topic 2

Bird decides to help Alma on her quest.

Part 1) Why does he decide to help her? What does this decision to help her say about Bird?

Part 2) How does this decision reinforce one or more of the themes?

Part 3) Is his help useful to Alma? Why or why not? How does his own quest to help her also help him?

Essay Topic 3

Leo, Zvi, and Bruno are all from the same town.

Part 1) From what town are they? How is this significant?

Part 2) What else do they have in common? How does this influence the plot of this story?

Part 3) Compare their lives after their separation and various departures from this town. How have their lives changed? How have their lives continued to be similar?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 990 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample