CliffsNotes on

The Chosen

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About the Author

About the Novel

Introduction to the Novel
Historical Introduction to the Novel
A Brief Synopsis
List of Characters

Summaries and Commentaries

Book One : Chapter 1
Book One : Chapters 2-4
Book Two : Chapters 5-7
Book Two : Chapters 8-10
Book Two : Chapters 11 & 12
Book Three : Chapters 13-15
Book Three : Chapters 16-18

Character Analyses

Danny Saunders
Reb Saunders
Reuven Malter
David Malter

Critical Essays

Conflicting Cultures in the Novel
The Film Version of the Novel

Study Help

Quiz
Review Questions and Essay Topics

Cite this Literature Note

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Study Help

Quiz

1:  A Hasid is

a. a fringed prayer shawl

b. a Modern Orthodox Jew

c. a Jewish person with Spanish ancestry

d. a member of an ultra-religious Jewish sect
2:  The Chosen begins with

a. a Saturday night prayer service

b. a classroom argument between Danny and Reuven

c. a softball game in Brooklyn

d. Danny visiting Reuven in the hospital
3:  Danny is slated to become a rabbi because

a. this is his life’s ambition

b. he stands to inherit his father’s position

c. he wants to please his mother

d. this will help him avoid the World War II draft
4:  Mr. Malter’s speech at Madison Square Garden

a. urges an end to the wartime drafting of young men

b. demands that attention be paid to the Holocaust

c. pleads for the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine

d. argues that Jewish extremists are creating an embarrassment for mainstream American Jews
5:  Reuven learns about Jewish subjects in

a. Hebrew

b. Aramaic

c. Yiddish

d. English
6:  Billy’s blindness upsets Reuven because

a. Reuven thinks he is responsible for Billy’s blindness.

b. Billy’s blindness reminds Reuven how fortunate he is.

c. Reuven thinks Billy is not taking his blindness seriously.

d. Reuven’s father has pronounced Billy’s blindness to be a sign from God.
7:  Mr. Malter thinks Reb Saunders is

a. concerned only with religious life

b. trying too hard to be a pal to his son

c. not taking American politics seriously enough

d. deliberately ignoring the findings of Charles Darwin
8:  The man at the library who has been recommending books for Danny to read is

a. Rav Gershenson

b. Davey Cantor

c. Mr. Malter

d. Professor Appleman
9:  Danny’s epiphany in reading the work of Freud comes

a. in a discussion with Rav Gershenson

b. during an argument with Reuven

c. when he realizes that, like the Talmud, Freud must be studied, not merely read

d. when Mr. Malter explains the significance of Freud’s theory
10:  Why does Reb Saunders react so harshly to Reuven’s mention of the growing sympathy for a Jewish homeland in Palestine?

a. Reb Saunders considers a secular Jewish state to be a violation of the Torah.

b. Reb Saunders thinks Reuven is turning his back on his American heritage.

c. Reb Saunders suspects Reuven is undermining Danny’s faith in orthodoxy.

d. Reb Saunders fears Danny will want to leave America and migrate to the new Jewish state.
11:  What disappointing discovery does Danny experience at Hirsch College?

a. It is run on secular principles.

b. The psychology department does not study the work of Freud.

c. Although co-ed, the school keeps the sexes separate.

d. Many of his courses will not be honored if he chooses to enter graduate studies.
12:  Which character assails silence in an impassioned speech, only to fall silent himself?

a. Rav Gershenson

b. Reb Saunders

c. Mr. Malter

d. Reuven
13:  Who said the following: “No one knows how fortunate he is until he becomes unfortunate.”

a. Billy

b. The Ba’al Shem Tov

c. Danny

d. Mr. Malter
14:  Who said the following: “I had never really paid any attention to it before. Now it seemed suddenly luminous and alive.”

a. Reb Saunders

b. Mr. Malter

c. Rav Gershenson

d. Reuven
15:  Who said the following: “Freud is not God in psychology.”

a. Mr. Malter

b. Reb Saunders

c. Professor Appleman

d. Danny



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