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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 does John Grady travel after leaving his house for the last time in the book?

2. Who confronts Magdalena about whether or not John Grady knows she is sick in Chapter 3?

3. Where do the men find a litter of puppies hidden in the mesa?

4. What does Billy do with John Grady's body after he dies?

5. Who does John Grady ask why they never got married in Chapter 3?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Billy survive when he travels to New Mexico in the epilogue?

2. How does Magdalena react when a woman offers to help her after she escapes from the hospital?

3. What is the nature of Billy's conversation with a police officer after discovering Magdalena was dead?

4. What is the nature of the blind man's response to John Grady when he asks him to pray for him?

5. How does Magdalena end up in a hospital?

6. How do the cowboys inadvertently break the necks of some wild dogs they track in Chapter 3?

7. What is the nature of the information John Grady tells Billy just before he dies?

8. How do John Grady and Billy find a litter of puppies that are trapped on the mesa?

9. How is Billy's work with a family at the end of the book described?

10. How does John Grady discover that Magdalena has died?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Horses play a starring role in many parts of the book and allow the reader to better understand the book's characters based on their treatment of these animals. Part 1.) What do horses appear to mean and represent to the cowboys in the book, and what role do they play in their everyday life? Part 2.) Considering this role, what can we learn about John Grady's motivations when he decides to sell his horse in order to marry Magdalena? Part 3.) How does the author use horses as a way of judging the character of the cowboys?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the author's portrayal of the concept of escape in the book. What symbolic meaning might the author wish for Magdalena and John Grady's attempts at escaping their own reality?

Essay Topic 3

The nature of reality is analyzed throughout the book and is the central theme presented by the author in the book. Part 1.) What elements does the author use to create a realistic portrayal of the characters in the book and the experiences they have, and are they successful? Part 2.) What personal details and emotions are we able to feel towards the characters based on the elements of reality used by the author? Part 3.) How does the author bring reality into perspective when Billy is given a second chance at the end of the book?

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