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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Death and the Compass," what do the police find at each crime scene?

2. Who is Nils Runeberg?

3. What does the narrator ask the Englishman after dinner?

4. What does Jaromir Hladik ask God for in a prayer?

5. Why does Scharlach lead Erik Lonnrot to the location of the fourth murder?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Jaromir Hladik regret?

2. How do the stranger and the black man feel about their rivalry?

3. In "Theme of the Traitor and Hero," what coincidences raise Ryan's suspicion?

4. Who is the traitor scheduled for execution in "Theme of the Traitor and Hero"?

5. What discovery does Erik Lonnrot make about the murders at the fourth crime scene?

6. Describe Jaromir Hladik.

7. In "Theme of the Traitor and Hero," why are the details of Ryan's great-grandfather's death obscured?

8. What theory does Erik Lonnrot have about the murders in "Death and the Compass"?

9. What unusual theories does Nils Runeberg propose?

10. What irony is evident in the membership of the Sect of the Phoenix?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare Borges' style of writing with the genre of hypertext fiction. How is "Ficciones" a precursor to hypertext fiction? What are the "forking paths" in "Garden of the Forking Paths"? What does Borges mean when he asks his readers to "become aware of all the possible choices we might make"?

Essay Topic 2

How does Borges use fictional and legitimate literature to express his themes? What effect does the use of historically accurate references and literature have on the realism of Borges' work? What effect does the insertion of both fictional and legitimate literature have on the reader's perception of his work?

Essay Topic 3

What ironies does Borges point out in literature? How does Borges use style to create irony? What themes does Borges express through the use of irony?

(see the answer keys)

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