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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. In "The Shape of the Sword," John Vincent Moon is a traitor to what ideology?

2. In "The Lottery in Babylon," which of these best describes what is drawn for in the lottery?

3. In "Ibn-Hakam-Al Bokhari, Murdered in his Labyrinth," Sa'id tells the preacher that he is afraid of what?

4. In "The Aleph," why does the narrator lie about the Aleph?

5. In "The Other Death," what does the Colonel say of Pedro Damian?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "The Cruel Redeemer Lazarus Morell," describe Lazarus' moral character.

2. In "The Other Death," how does Borges suggest that Pedro Damian could actually be both a hero and a coward?

3. In "The South," how does Dahlmann feel about his imminent death in a knife fight?

4. How does Borges portray theological disputes in "The Theologians"?

5. In "Man on the Pink Corner," why does Rosendo disappear and then come back when challenged by the Yardmaster?

6. In "The Aleph," what is the narrator's attitude toward Carlos Argentino?

7. In "The Zahir," what is a possible reason for the narrator becoming obsessed with the coin?

8. In "Emma Zunz," how does Emma exact revenge on Lowenthal for her father's death?

9. In "The End," does the black man who plays his guitar and continually waits outside the bar get what he has been waiting for?

10. In "The Lottery in Babylon," what could the lottery symbolize?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the concept of forbidden knowledge in Borges' stories. Are there certain things man should not know? Is it dangerous to try to play the Divine? Think of stories such as "The Writing of the God," "A Theologian in Death," "The Chamber of Statues," and "The Mirror of Ink." Choose at least one of these stories, and up to three in supporting your essay.

Essay Topic 2

In "The Library of Babel," a librarian frantically and hopelessly tries to organize the books in a seemingly infinite library and looks for a book that will summarize all the others. Is this story merely a work of imaginative fiction, or a possible metaphor for the actual world? What is Borges implying about the nature of human knowledge? Make sure to discuss "The Library of Babel," but also include at least one more story that touches on this common theme of Borges. Be specific.

Essay Topic 3

Borges was deeply influenced by the stories of Edgar Allan Poe. This influence can especially be seen in the many stories that contain the supernatural and magic. Borges often inserted magic into otherwise realistic stories, a blend that is commonly called "magic realism." Using between one and three stories as evidence, describe magic realism in Borges. What does the insertion of magic into the ordinary achieve? Does it pierce further into reality, or does it discredit the stories as simple fantasy?

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