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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. Who does Pantoja believe will be held responsible for the events surrounding the scandal of the Special Service?

2. Who officiates Olga's funeral?

3. Who does Pantoja go to church with, greatly upsetting Leonor?

4. Who is interviewed on the radio in Chapter 7?

5. A mayor tries to make Olga's murder look like it was done by whom?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did the "House of Iron" fail in the Amazon?

2. What happens when Sinchi approaches Pocha at the airport when she is leaving Panjota?

3. What happens at the end of Chapter 8 when news of the Special Service starts to spread?

4. How do the people in Pantoja's life react to him giving Olga's eulogy?

5. What happens when Pantoja requests that Morey and the other men from Requena be brought before a military tribunal and tried for their crimes?

6. Describe Pantoja's relationship with Olga.

7. What information does Maclovia reveal during her radio interview that outrages listeners?

8. What is the "House of Iron"?

9. What does a letter to Sinchi from disgruntled citizens say?

10. How does Sinchi react when he finds out Pantoja is in the military?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the significance of the army's inability to keep the Secret Service a secret? When does it become clear that the mission is no longer being kept a tight secret? What seems to be the reason the secret gets out? Why do you think the army keeps adding more and more people to the circle of people who know about the mission? Why do you think they are not being more careful?

Essay Topic 2

Explore the character Sinchi and his role in the novel. How does he relate to other characters? What narrative function does he serve? What is the significance of his hypocrisy and his manipulative personality? What does the author seem to be saying through his character?

Essay Topic 3

What is the significance of Olga's murder to the rest of the novel? Why do you think Olga is killed off in the story? Are you surprised by her fate? Why or why not? How does her murder move the plot of the story along? Do you think it is significant that her murder is the result of a botched plan to kidnap and rape her? Why do you think Vargas Llosa chooses to kill her this way and not actually be purposefully be murdered by Moray and his men?

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