View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Margarito order that the bar is unable to provide?

2. Why does Valderrama protest Demetrio Macias' order?

3. In the song Demetrio Macias sings over and over again, why does his assailant stab him?

4. What organization does Luis Cervantes advise Venancio to join?

5. What does Demetrio Macias promise Luis Cervantes if he brings his love to him?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the character of Margarito?

2. What lies do the women in Don Monico's house tell to protect themselves?

3. What painful memory crosses Demetrio Macias' mind as Don Monico pleads for mercy for his wife and children?

4. What was the second point of honor that Luis Cervantes loses?

5. How does Luis Cervantes justify stealing money from the people?

6. What lesson does Demetrio Macias tell Camila he has learned by watching Pifanio, the crippled man?

7. Why do the members of Demetrio Macias' staff all smile in a sinister way when he tells them they are stopping to have lunch with his old friend Don Monico?

8. Why does Anastasio think the kind of fighting they did when they killed the priest is worth it?

9. Why does Anastasio think they should be able to quit fighting?

10. Why doesn't War Paint's plan to rescue Camila from Demetrio Macias succeed?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the status of women in this cultural setting. In what ways are they powerful? In what ways are they powerless? Use examples from the story to support your position.

Essay Topic 2

Palomo, the dove, is a significant symbol in this story, as is the rock that Demetrio Macias throws and then watches as it falls inexorably to the bottom. In your essay, discuss some of the symbols and what they represent.

Essay Topic 3

What do you think the author's purpose was in writing this story? Does it have relevance to readers almost a century later? If there is a moral to the story, what is it? In your essay, discuss what you believe the author's overarching reason for writing this book would be and whether it is of value today.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 835 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample