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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 chapter four, what does Bernarda choose to do?

2. When Cayetano is sent to see Sierva in chapter four, how is she dressed?

3. What is the new Viceroy's name?

4. Who finds Cayetano in a sorry state at the end of chapter four?

5. How do Cayetano and Dr. Abrenuncio communicate?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Father Cayetano's dream in chapter three?

2. How does Sierva react when she is first introduced to the Abbess?

3. How does Cayetano gain Sierva's trust?

4. How does Martina help Sierva?

5. Describe the centuries-old conflict between the convent and the Bishop.

6. Why does Chapter 4 end with Cayetano whipping himself?

7. What does the Bishop claim about maintaining faith to the Viceroy?

8. What evidence does the Bishop present that argue for Sierva being possessed?

9. How is Sierva comforted by the slave women in the convent?

10. What leads to Cayetano promising Sierva to free her in Chapter 4?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Citing specific examples from the text, write an essay discussing one of the following:

- The purpose in naming a character Judas Iscariote.

- The lepers as a symbol of the decay of the church.

- Father Aquino's mysterious death.

Essay Topic 2

"[The Bishop] spoke of Yucatan, where they had constructed sumptuous cathedrals to hide the pagan pyramids, not realizing that the natives came to Mass because their sanctuaries still lived beneath the silver altars. He spoke of the chaotic mixing of blood that had gone on since the conquest: Spanish blood with Indian blood, and both of these with blacks of every sort, even Mandingo Muslims, and he asked himself whether such miscegenation had a place in the Kingdom of God."

Using this quote from the book as a springboard, discuss the story as an overall allegory for racism. Keep in mind the treatment of the slaves, Sierva's attachment to the African culture and her own racial background, and the use of the character of Sagunta and the motives of the Bishop in performing an exorcism on Sierva.

Essay Topic 3

Citing specific examples from the text, discuss the author's use of magic realism in this novel. In what ways does the author make this story true to life? In what ways is this story fantastical? (Please note that the term "fantastical" encompasses more than just the miracle of Sierva's hair growing after death and is meant as something that likely could not happen in real life).

(see the answer keys)

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