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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In "Undr," what does Ulf do to avoid execution?
(a) Compses a poem in praise of the king.
(b) Becomes the king's court jester.
(c) Creates a map of some unknown territory.
(d) Volunteers to join the army.

2. In "Blue Tigers," what do the Blue Tigers do to the narrator?
(a) They cause him to age backwards.
(b) They maul him.
(c) They slowly poison him.
(d) They nearly drive him mad.

3. In "The Plot," a gaucho's murder is similar to the murder of what famous figure?
(a) Julius Caesar.
(b) The Archduke Ferdinand.
(c) Jesus.
(d) Abraham Lincoln.

4. In "August 25, 1983," what hotel room does Borges go to?
(a) 19.
(b) 63.
(c) 49.
(d) The room is numberless.

5. In "Argumentum Ornitholicum," if the number of birds is indefinite, what is implied?
(a) God exists.
(b) Math has no use.
(c) The end of the world is at hand.
(d) God does not exist.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which of the following best describes the theme of "Mutations"?

2. In "Parable of the Palace," why does the Emperor execute the poet?

3. In "A Dialogue About a Dialogue," what interrupts the dialogue?

4. In "Shakespeare's Memory," what do Shakespeare's memories do for Hermann?

5. In "A Weary Man's Utopia," how old is the man from the future?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Unworthy," why does Fischbein, a mild-mannered and bookish man, hang around a gang?

2. In "The Plot," a gaucho dies in a similar fashion to Julius Caesar. What does this suggest about history?

3. In "The Book of Sand," what are the stages of the narrator's view toward the book?

4. In "Undr," is there any suggestion that "Undr" or "wonder" really isn't the only sacred word of the Urns?

5. In "The Interloper," do the Nelson brothers have any redeeming qualities?

6. In "The Gospel According to Mark," why do the Gutres want to crucify Baltasar?

7. In "A Weary Man's Utopia," is the society described by the old man really a "utopia"?

8. Is there a contradiction to the argument in "Argumentum Ornithologicum"?

9. In "The Other," how does the elder Borges most successfully prove to the younger Borges that he is not dreaming their encounter?

10. In "The Duel," what is the nature of the duel between Clara and Marta?

(see the answer keys)

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