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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. Who is Valentin's old girlfriend?

2. What is the name of the woman in the first story Molina tells?

3. Why does Leni decide to help the Germans?

4. What makes the couple beautiful to each other?

5. Who does the waiter have so that he does not have to be alone while Molina is in prison?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who does Molina meet with at the beginning of the chapter?

2. Why does Molina feel he could die in his sleep now?

3. What does the man notice about the woman he has met during the festivities?

4. What is the new story Molina tells within this chapter and subsequent chapters?

5. By whom would Valentin really like the letter to be written?

6. How has Valentin been tortured?

7. What is Valentin's opinion of movies?

8. Why does Valentin say he avoids the pleasures of the flesh?

9. What does Molina do with Valentin once he returns from his meeting with the Warden?

10. What does the woman have to do in order to support the care of her man?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Women do not seem to play a large role in the story, being relegated only to the maternal role and to the person Valentin continues his fight for.

Part 1: Who are the female characters in this story? What is their relationship to the main characters of the dialogue?

Part 2: Do the female characters seem stronger or weaker than the male characters? Why did you choose the answer you did?

Part 3: What does Puig seem to be saying about the female gender?

Essay Topic 2

The idea of gender is something that is pursued in a subtle way in this manuscript. In moving back and forth between what is "masculine" and what is "feminine," the reader begins to ask questions of his/her own definitions of these terms as well.

Part 1: What are some examples of femininity in this story?

Part 2: What are some examples of masculinity in this story?

Part 3: What does the author seem to be saying about the definition of gender as it relates to this story? Is it important? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

The idea of telling stories seems to be used as an escapist technique, not just for the reader, but also for the characters.

Part 1: Why does Molina like to tell the stories as told to Valentin and to himself?

Part 2: What might Molina be escaping from as he tells the stories? What might Valentin escape from?

Part 3: What is the value of escapism? What does it provide to those who seek it out? How can it hurt the seekers of escapism?

(see the answer keys)

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