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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. When was the last time the General was seen in public?

2. How does the town react to the news of the General's death?

3. Who was Delfina Moscote?

4. How long has the General been in power?

5. Which of Bendicion Alvarado's miracles is most astonishing?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens to Monsignor Demetrius Aldous as he concludes his investigation of the General's mother?

2. Explain the significance of yellow fever to the General's position as president.

3. Why does the General order the Church and its clergy to be expelled from the nation and how is this accomplished?

4. Describe the circumstances under which the General meets Leticia Nazareno.

5. After he has finished with the school girl, how does the General deal with her?

6. Describe the occurrence the General believes to be a miracle.

7. Describe Jose Ignacio Saenz de la Barra.

8. How does Jose Ignacio Saenz de la Barra attempt to undermine the General?

9. How does Leticia force the General to marry her?

10. Who is actually running the government by the end of Chapter 5?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the ending of the novel. Who concludes the novel? Why is it significant that the narrative ends with this voice? Why does the final page end with dates? What effect does this ending have on the novel as a whole? Consider the structure, motifs, and narrative structure in your answer. Support your argument using evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the treatment of children in this novel. At various stages of the General's rule, we are confronted with potentially disturbing treatment of children. From the indiscriminate fathering of thousands of children to the imprisonment and slaughter of the two thousand children under seven whose job it is to control the lottery, the General commits many acts of violence against children. Why does Garcia Marquez include these acts in the novel? What does this treatment accomplish? How does it affect our perception of the General? Provide specific details from the novel as support for your claims.

Essay Topic 3

Death is a consistent motif throughout the entire novel. Main characters die gruesome deaths and the General's death is described in vivid detail throughout the novel. How does death, especially the General's repeated deaths, play into the novel as a whole? Consider the repetition of the moments of death as well as the death imagery which pervades the novel. Be sure to focus your critique on specific evidence from the novel.

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