Middlesex Book Test Flashcards

Questions and Answers

Where does the majority of the book take place?

Detroit

In what month and year was Callie first born?

January 1960

What's Cal's name on his birth certificate?

Calliope Helen Stephanides

Who gave Milton advice on how to ensure he would have a baby girl?

Uncle Pete Signup and view all the answers

Father Mike is not promoted to priest at Assumption Greek Orthodox Church. Instead, ___________ takes the spot.

Father Gregorios Signup and view all the answers

Lefty's real name is...

Eleutherios Signup and view all the answers

Lefty initially looks to find a woman in...

Bursa Signup and view all the answers

Cal is ___ when he starts writing his memoir.

41 Signup and view all the answers

The book is written by...

Jeffrey Eugenides Signup and view all the answers

The family's physician is called...

Dr. Philobosian Signup and view all the answers

When Callie is born, she is _ inches long and weighs pounds and __ ounces.

19, 7, 4 Signup and view all the answers

How were Desdemona and Lefty's parents killed?

War with the Turks Signup and view all the answers

What was the name of Desdemona and Lefty's village?

Bithynios Signup and view all the answers

Desdemona and Lefty's mother is named...

Euphrosyne Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of the African-American activist who preaches on the street corner near the Stephanides diner and is befriended by Cal?

Marius (Wyxzewixard Challouehliczilczese) Grimes Signup and view all the answers

Who sells the Stephanides family their home on Middlesex?

Jane Marsh Signup and view all the answers

Why does Clementine Stark move away?

Her father dies of a heart attack Signup and view all the answers

Who is Chapter Eleven's nerdy and unpopular friend growing up?

Steve Munger Signup and view all the answers

Who's the first black mayor in Detroit?

Mayor Coleman A. Young Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of Cal's college girlfriend (who was raped at thirteen)?

Olivia Signup and view all the answers

Who gives Cal a ride and owns a strip club in San Francisco where Cal performs as 'the god Hermaphroditus'?

Bob Presto Signup and view all the answers

Who takes over the family hot dog business after Milton dies (and quickly runs it to the ground)?

Chapter Eleven Signup and view all the answers

What are the names of Father Mike and Aunt Zo's children?

Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, and Cleopatra Signup and view all the answers

Where in Greece does Desdemona sell silkworm cocoons?

Koza Han Signup and view all the answers

Who are Lefty's two 'options' for women in the village?

Lucille Kaflakis and Victoria Pappas Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of the catalogue Desdemona uses to teach the girls to seduce Lefty?

Lingerie Parisienne Signup and view all the answers

Denotes the first fever of human pair bonding.

Periphescence Signup and view all the answers

Where does Cal live as an adult?

Schöneberg district of Berlin Signup and view all the answers

What is Cal a part of?

Foreign Service's cultural staff Signup and view all the answers

When did Lefty and Desdemona leave Bithynios?

August 31, 1922 Signup and view all the answers

Where do Lefty and Desdemona go to get to America?

Smyrna and then Athens Signup and view all the answers

Where is Dr. Nishan Philobosian from?

Armenia Signup and view all the answers

Who is the Greek civil governor when Desdemona and Lefty leave Greece (and when the government leaves Smyrna)?

Aristedes Sterghiades Signup and view all the answers

Who is the first President of modern-day Turkey who was treated by Dr. Philobosian?

Mustafa Kemal Signup and view all the answers

Desdemona frequently cries out the word...

Mana Signup and view all the answers

_______'s entire family is killed by the Turkish soldiers and is rescued from drowning by Desdemona and Lefty.

Dr. Philobosian Signup and view all the answers

What's the name of the first boat Desdemona, Lefty, and Dr. Philobosian go on?

Jean Bart Signup and view all the answers

What's the name of the second boat Desdemona, Lefty, and Dr. Philobosian take?

Giulia Signup and view all the answers

What is Desdemona's maiden name?

Aristos Signup and view all the answers

Who is born first: Milton or Tessie?

Tessie Signup and view all the answers

What is Tessie's real name?

Theodora Signup and view all the answers

What's the name of the lake where Jimmy Zizmo fakes his death?

Lake St. Clair Signup and view all the answers

What's Milton's real name?

Miltiades Signup and view all the answers

Who is Milton named after?

An Athenian general Signup and view all the answers

Peter Tatakis, the future chiropractor, is referred to as...

Uncle Pete Signup and view all the answers

Initially, Lefty called his wife _, which means 'doll', but after she gives birth to Milton and their relationship begins to change, he starts calling her _, which means 'Madame'.

Kukla, kyria Signup and view all the answers

Whenever the Zebra Room was open for business, Lefty put up a sign of _______ in the living room window, facing the street.

St. George Signup and view all the answers

Milton is afraid of...

Heights Signup and view all the answers

Where does Desdemona receive her last haircut?

YWCA in Ellis Island Signup and view all the answers

Sourmelina's secret is that she is a lesbian.

True Signup and view all the answers

What kind of car do Sourmelina and her husband have?

Black and tan Packard Signup and view all the answers

Where do Sourmelina and Jimmy live?

East Side of Detroit Signup and view all the answers

Jimmy Zizmo says he is an...

Importer Signup and view all the answers

Where is Lefty's first job in America?

Ford Motor Company Signup and view all the answers

Desdemona filled her time with _____ in America.

Cooking/food Signup and view all the answers

How many men come to inspect Jimmy and Sourmelina's home once Lefty has his job?

2 Signup and view all the answers

Who is the head priest at Assumption Greek Orthodox Church when Desdemona and Lefty first arrive?

Father Stylianopoulos Signup and view all the answers

When Lefty graduates from his English class, what colors does he have to wear?

Blue and gray Signup and view all the answers

Why is Lefty fired from the Ford Motor Company?

Jimmy Zizmo's police record Signup and view all the answers

Right after Lefty is fired, he finds out that...

Both his wife and Sourmelina are pregnant Signup and view all the answers

Cal notes that there are _____ intersexuals alive today.

137,000 Signup and view all the answers

Who is the woman Cal dates?

Julie Kikuchi Signup and view all the answers

Tessie and Milton are conceived after Desdemona, Lefty, Sourmelina, and Jimmy go to the theater to see...

The Minotaur Signup and view all the answers

Jimmy Zizmo claimed __________ was vital for digestion.

Papaya juice Signup and view all the answers

Jimmy Zizmo thought the ________ started the war.

Greeks Signup and view all the answers

What did Jimmy Zizmo actually import?

Liquor Signup and view all the answers

______ helps Jimmy Zizmo in his business, despite the fact that what they're doing is illegal.

Lefty Signup and view all the answers

The only escape for Sourmelina in her pregnancy is the...

Radio Signup and view all the answers

Who is the leader of the church Desdemona works at?

Minister Fard Signup and view all the answers

What's the name of Cal's school growing up?

Baker & Inglis Signup and view all the answers

Sourmelina believes that ________ didn't enter the body until a child started speaking.

The soul Signup and view all the answers

What is Cal's Aunt Zo's middle name?

Helen Signup and view all the answers

When does Sourmelina move out?

After Zoë is born Signup and view all the answers

What's the name of the street where Desdemona, Lefty, and Sourmelina live (and where Jimmy also lives before dying)?

Hurlbut Street Signup and view all the answers

Where does Desdemona go for her new job?

Hastings Street Signup and view all the answers

In 1932, Detroit was known as...

The City of Trees Signup and view all the answers

Julie Kikuchi attended the _________ for college.

Rhode Island School of Design Signup and view all the answers

Fred Dodd, Professor Ford, Wallace Ford, W.D.Ford, Wali Farrad, Waddell Fard, or W.D.Fard.

Names of the peddler Signup and view all the answers

When Desdemona walks into the church where she works, which class is going on?

Muslim Girls Training and General Civilization Class Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of the man Fard speaks of who supposedly created the white race?

Yacub Signup and view all the answers

What does Lefty start doing to make some extra money during the Depression?

Recruiting models for Maurice Plantagenet to photograph Signup and view all the answers

Who replaces Fard after his arrest as the Supreme Minister of the Nation of Islam?

Brother Karriem/Elijah Poole/Elijah Muhammad Signup and view all the answers

What kind of car does Fard/Jimmy drive out to leave (the last time Desdemona sees him)?

Chrysler coupe Signup and view all the answers

After Desdemona meets with Fard, what does she do?

Had a medical procedure so that she couldn't have any more kids Signup and view all the answers

Where does Cal pick up Julie for their date?

Her studio in Kreuzberg Signup and view all the answers

Where do Julie and Cal go to dinner for their first date?

Austria Signup and view all the answers

How old is Julie when Cal meets her?

36 Signup and view all the answers

Where does Milton get transferred (to be a cadet) after he works shortly as a signalman?

Annapolis Signup and view all the answers

Sourmelina Zizmo is not just Cal's first cousin twice removed. She is also his...

Grandmother Signup and view all the answers

Ex ovo omnia means...

Metamorphosis - everything comes out of an egg Signup and view all the answers

Dr. Philobosian believes in _______, which says that all humankind had existed in miniature since creation (either through Adam or Eve).

Preformation Signup and view all the answers

The disease Chapter Eleven is diagnosed with later in his life is called...

Crohn's disease Signup and view all the answers

Where are Milton and Tessie stationed when Chapter Eleven is born?

Pearl Harbor Signup and view all the answers

Zoë and Father Mike get married and go to live in Greece in 1949, where they remain for ___ years.

8 Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of Milton's restaurant chain?

Hercules Hot Dogs Signup and view all the answers

Ultimately, Hercules Hot Dogs has __ locations.

66 Signup and view all the answers

Who are the first two people Milton hires at the diner?

Eleni and Jimmy Papanikolas Signup and view all the answers

At a Theosophical Society meeting, Sourmelina meets a woman named _________ (who joined in hopes of contacting her dead husband) and moves down to the Southwest with her.

Evelyn Watson Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Key Characters and Locations

Detroit: The primary setting for a majority of the narrative, reflecting the city's cultural and social dynamics.
Calliope Helen Stephanides (Cal): Cal's name on birth certificate; represents the exploration of identity.
Lefty (Eleutherios): Cal’s grandfather; emigrated from Bithynios, Greece, seeking a new life.
Desdemona (Aristos): Cal's grandmother; her experiences reflect the immigrant narrative.

Important Events and Timeline

January 1960: Month when Callie is born, signifying a key moment in the family's history.
August 31, 1922: Date Lefty and Desdemona left Bithynios amid political turmoil.
World War I and Ethnic Conflict: Desdemona and Lefty's parents perish in the war with the Turks, highlighting the impact of war on families.

Family Ties and Relationships

Clementine Stark: Moves away after her father's heart attack, indicating the fragility of family units.
Milton and Tessie: Children of Lefty and Desdemona; Milton continues the family legacy.
Chapter Eleven: Milton's son who inherits the family hot dog business.

Father Gregorios: Becomes the priest at Assumption Greek Orthodox Church after Father Mike is not promoted, reflecting the church's influence in their lives.
Mayor Coleman A. Young: First black mayor in Detroit, pivotal to understanding the political landscape of the time.
Cultural Institutions: Characters engage with various organizations like the YWCA and Theosophical Society, which reflect their social aspirations.

Symbolism and Themes

Intersex Identity: Cal notes that there are 137,000 intersexuals alive today, addressing themes of gender and identity.
Immigration and Adaptation: Lefty's journey from Greece to America symbolizes the immigrant experience and cultural shifts.
Food as Identity: Desdemona fills her time cooking, highlighting how food ties the family to their heritage.

Miscellaneous Facts

Dr. Philobosian: The family physician whose past and experiences reflect the challenges faced by immigrants.
Lingerie Parisienne: Catalogue used by Desdemona to instruct her daughters, illustrating societal and familial expectations of femininity.
Crohn's disease: Diagnosed to Chapter Eleven later in life, addressing health challenges within the narrative.

Unique Tidbits

Fard and the Nation of Islam: Introduces themes of faith and social justice, significantly impacting Desdemona's community involvement.
The Minotaur: Theater production that leads to the conception of Milton and Tessie, symbolizing how art intersects with life events.
Jimmy Zizmo: A character embodying the complexities of race and economic strife, indicating the intermingling of different cultural backgrounds in Detroit.

Final Notes on Structure

Memoir Writing: Cal begins writing at age 41, which serves as a framing device for the story, interweaving past and present experiences.
Hercules Hot Dogs: Milton’s restaurant chain with 66 locations reflects the rise and fall of immigrant enterprises in America.

This detailed overview captures the essence of key elements in the narrative, emphasizing main characters, critical events, and underlying themes.

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Test your knowledge of 'Middlesex' with these flashcards. Covering key characters, settings, and important dates, this quiz will challenge your understanding of the novel's themes and plot. Perfect for students and fans alike!