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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. How many times does John Grady go back to the whorehouse looking for the girl he first saw at the beginning of the book?

2. What is the name of the man that offers to tell John Grady which whorehouse the woman he is looking for is at a price?

3. Where does John Grady meet with Magdalena after he finds out he cannot buy her?

4. Which of the following men does not go on the dog hunt in Chapter 2?

5. What do the men take their dogs on a hunt for in Chapter 2?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Mac choose his horses at the auction he attends in Chapter 2?

2. How does John Grady react when a man offers him work after helping him identify a lame horse?

3. How does Troy describe a long drive he once took in the desert?

4. How does Billy react when John Grady tells him he wishes to marry Magdalena?

5. What happens to Magdalena after she spends her first night with John Grady?

6. How is Billy able to speak with Eduardo for the first time in the book?

7. How is the cowboy's dog hunt for mountain lions described in the book?

8. What happens when a man brings his horse to be trained at Mac's ranch in Chapter 1?

9. How is the house at Bell Springs first described in the book?

10. How is John Grady's attempts at taming a wild horse at the beginning of the book described?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the author's portrayal of disease in as an important theme in the book. What might the author be saying about the nature of Magdalena's character given the fact that her disease defined much of her actions and experiences in life? In this respect, what symbolic meaning might disease have in the book regarding Magdalena?

Essay Topic 2

The events of the past play an integral role in the lives of the book's characters for various reasons. Part 1.) What role does the past play in the relationship between John Grady and Mr. Johnson in the book? Part 2.) What purpose might the author have for placing such emphasis on the ways and customs of the past throughout much of the book, what might he be saying about the nature of change and progress based on this portrayal? Part 3.) Given how the book ends, what impact did Billy's experiences in the past impact his actions later in life, namely when he begins working for a family?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the author's portrayal of the concept of restitution in the book. Given John Grady's experiences with restitution, what might the author be saying about fulfilling our urges of restitution towards those that have wronged us?

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