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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. Simon remembers that he had drawn which same-suit cards from the deck during his encounter with the fortune teller?

2. What action does Benny recommend that Simon take after watching him on Simon's first night working at the bar?

3. What is NOT named among Simon's "earliest memories of Ward 86" (87)?

4. What is the name of the Gold siblings' paternal grandfather?

5. What kind of job does Simon find when he and Klara arrive in San Francisco?

Short Essay Questions

1. When the narrator reveals that Raj has "big plans" (113) for overhauling Klara's act, what kind of changes does the narrator depict?

2. Which of the Gold siblings is the most apprehensive about the prospect of visiting the fortune teller and why?

3. What do the Gold children bring to the fortune teller as payment for her services and why?

4. How did the Gold children's maternal grandmother die and why are the children adults before they find out this information?

5. The narrator takes pains to explain that Klara does not share her magic with people in order to deceive them. What is her true reason?

6. Compare Varya's ideas about fortune telling with Ruby Singh's.

7. What is the significance of Klara's feelings about the phenomenon of red tide?

8. Describe the significance of Simon's dream about salmon and how it relates to his mindset at the time of his dream.

9. What aspects of Robert's character are depicted as those that make him "stand out" (59) to Simon?

10. How many years pass between the first knock Klara believes Simon is using to communicate with her from the afterlife and the second knock she hears?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the author's choice to tell the story of The Immortalists using the third-person omniscient point of view. What elements of the novel's themes lend themselves to this choice and what is the author's intended effect on the reader?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the many instances of irony within the novel's narrative and analyze the author's purpose for including each instance you discuss.

Essay Topic 3

How do the themes of deception and secrecy function within the novel and what is the author's message regarding these themes?

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This section contains 1,320 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample