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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. What happens to the boarding house while Camilo stays there?

2. What does Camilo describe cooking for his father?

3. According to Mrs. Milagros, on what day does Camilo visit the writer of the letters?

4. Why does Camilo claim that he takes powders, pills, and syrups?

5. What color is Rosaura's hair?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Mrs. Milagros describe the story of Camilo meeting Rosaura in Part I, Chapter 5?

2. In Part I, Chapter 2, what are the signs that Camilo may have some unusual habits or character traits?

3. How does Camilo react to the letter that he receives telling him that he and his love must be separated and that he should be patient and wait?

4. Are there any indicators in Part I, Chapter 2 that Camilo might be involved in an investigation?

5. Who is Eufrasia Morales?

6. How does Mrs. Milagros react when she reads Camilo's letters? What does she tell Camilo?

7. How is the letter described in Part I, Chapter 4 different from the earlier letters?

8. What do we learn about Mrs. Milagros, the narrator of Part I, Chapter 1, from her own descriptions of other characters at the beginning of the text?

9. In Part I, Chapter 3, how does Mrs. Milagros describe the contents of the letters that Camilo receives and who they are from?

10. How do others at the boarding house initially react to the letters that Camilo receives?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Which characters are described as having unique "manias," or odd idiosyncratic ways of doing things? What role do these play in the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Rosaura's letters are important documents in the text, but other documents also become important. Which documents are central to the plot?

Essay Topic 3

Foreshadowing is used from the very beginning of the book, as mention is made that an investigation is happening, though the reader knows nothing of the crime or even the players involved. Describe two other ways in which foreshadowing and other ways of looking at time non-linearly contribute to the text.

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