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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. Which animal's nest does a thirteen-year-old Ignacio discover while trekking through the Cuban coast?

2. What do Ignacio and Blanco do for a living?

3. Where are Ignacio and Blanca hoping to send the animal they are searching for?

4. How long has Reina been in a relationship with Pepin Beltrán?

5. What does Reina offer to La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre in prayer?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens when Herberto decides to go fishing in Biscayne Bay?

2. How does Silvestre react to seeing Gonzalo in the hospital?

3. How is Reina Aguero described by her fellow electricians?

4. What answers does Ignacio finally give to the readers as to his motivations in killing Blanca and lying to his daughters?

5. How does Reina work her way into the expensive yacht club?

6. What happens to the small pouch Blanca carries around her neck, after she dies?

7. What does the santero advise Constancia to do before heading back to Cuba in search of the truth?

8. How does Ignacio's father die?

9. Why does Reina visit La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre?

10. What happens in the minutes before Dulce is arrested at the Habana Libre Hotel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Both Ignacio and Blanca are heavily influenced in their lives by the power of beauty around them. Explain what naturalism means to Ignacio and Blanca, and then explain how the quest for beautiful biology affected their relationship and the way they interacted with the world around them.

Essay Topic 2

The Cuban revolution plays a small role in the background of the novel. How does the Cuban Revolution affect the main characters, the Aguero sisters, during the course of this novel? What symbolic importance does the war have on what is happening in the sisters' lives? Why might Cristina Garcia have chosen to include it in the novel?

Essay Topic 3

The mystery surrounding Reina's true father is one of the greatest mysteries in the novel. Explain why Reina does not believe Ignacio is her natural birth father, and what evidence shows up during the course of the novel to support or discount her claims. Then explain what conclusion Reina finally comes to about her patronage at the end of the novel, and why.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 929 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample