Question

To what does the title “The Magic Barrel” refer?

It is an allusion to the saying “more fun than a barrel of monkeys.”

It is a reference to Salzman’s lie about having so many cards for eligible women that he had to put them in a barrel in his office.

The soon-to-be married person expects an answer to his or her questions about marriage to come from a seer or a magician.

“Magic barrel” is an English translation of a Yiddish term for “mysterious:

Answer 1

The correct answer is B.

Salzman says he had so many cards for eligible women that his drawers filled up; as a result, he had to move them to a barrel. However, Leo never sees the barrel itself, leading to the likelihood that the "magic barrel" doesn't exist at all.