diff --git a/tests/includes/utilities.inc b/tests/includes/utilities.inc
index 53a5107e..38a60462 100644
--- a/tests/includes/utilities.inc
+++ b/tests/includes/utilities.inc
@@ -112,10 +112,7 @@ class IslandoraTestUtilities extends IslandoraTestUtilityClass {
    *   TRUE on success, FALSE on fail.
    */
   public function assertDatastreams($object, array $datastreams) {
-    if (!self::assertFedoraObject($object)) {
-      $this->addResult(FALSE, "Failed. Object passed in is invalid.", 'Islandora');
-    }
-    else {
+    if (self::assertFedoraObject($object)) {
       $missing_datastreams = array_diff_key(array_flip($datastreams), $object->repository->api->a->listDatastreams($object->id));
 
       if (!empty($missing_datastreams)) {
@@ -137,8 +134,8 @@ class IslandoraTestUtilities extends IslandoraTestUtilityClass {
    *   An array of datastreams to confirm not present.
    */
   public function assertNoDatastreams($object, array $datastreams) {
-    if (!self::assertFedoraObject($object)) {
-      $this->addResult(FALSE, "Failed. Object passed in is invalid.", 'Islandora');
+    if (self::assertFedoraObject($object, FALSE)) {
+      $this->addResult("Failed to check the datastreams on the object; the object could not be loaded.");
       return;
     }
     $found_datastreams = array_intersect_key(array_flip($datastreams), $object->repository->api->a->listDatastreams($object->id));
@@ -169,8 +166,7 @@ class IslandoraTestUtilities extends IslandoraTestUtilityClass {
    *   for examples.
    */
   public function validateDatastreams($object, array $datastreams) {
-
-    if (!self::assertFedoraObject($object)) {
+    if (self::assertFedoraObject($object, FALSE)) {
       $this->addResult(FALSE, "Datastream validation failed; Object passed in is invalid.", 'Islandora');
       return;
     }
@@ -347,48 +343,33 @@ QUERY;
   }
 
   /**
-   * Asserts that an object is a FedoraObject or an IslandoraFedoraObject.
-   *
-   * @param object $object
-   *   The object to assess.
-   *
-   * @return bool
-   *   TRUE if it is either of those object types, or FALSE otherwise.
-   */
-  public static function assertFedoraObject($object) {
-    return ($object instanceof FedoraObject);
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * Asserts that the given PID represents a Fedora object.
+   * Asserts a Fedora object from an object or PID, and loads it if possible.
    *
-   * @param string $pid
-   *   The PID of the object.
+   * @param FedoraObject|string $object
+   *   The object to assess, or a string to use as a PID.
+   * @param bool $exists
+   *   Whether or not the object should exist in the repository, according to
+   *   our assertion. Defaults to TRUE.
    *
-   * @return bool
-   *   TRUE if the object exists in the repository; FALSE otherwise.
+   * @return FedoraObject|bool
+   *   The object in question if it was a FedoraObject or loaded into one, or
+   *   FALSE otherwise.
    */
-  public function assertObjectExists($pid) {
-    $object = islandora_object_load($pid);
-    $exists = $this->assertFedoraObject($object);
-    $this->addResult($exists, "Object $pid exists in the repository.");
-    return $exists;
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * Asserts that the given PID does not represent a Fedora object.
-   *
-   * @param string $pid
-   *   The PID of the object.
-   *
-   * @return bool
-   *   TRUE if the object does not exist in the repository, or FALSE otherwise.
-   */
-  public function assertNoObjectExists($pid) {
-    $object = islandora_object_load($pid);
-    $exists = $this->assertFedoraObject($object);
-    $this->addResult(!$exists, "Object $pid does not exist in the repository.");
-    return !$exists;
+  public static function assertFedoraObject($object, $exists = TRUE) {
+    if ($object instanceof FedoraObject) {
+      $this->addResult($exists, "Object loaded from $object->id is a Fedora repository object.");
+      return $object;
+    }
+    elseif (is_string($object)) {
+      $loaded_object = islandora_object_load($object);
+      if ($loaded_object instanceof FedoraObject) {
+        $this->addResult($exists, "Successfully loaded object $object from the Fedora repository.");
+        return $loaded_object;
+      }
+      $this->addResult($exists, "Object identified by $object was not found in the repository.");
+      return FALSE;
+    }
+    $this->addResult($exists, "Object passed in was not found in the repository.");
+    return FALSE;
   }
-
 }