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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 "Argumentum Ornitholicum," if the number of birds is indefinite, what is implied?

2. In "The Maker," the protagonist is what Greek writer?

3. In "The Bribe," what does Professor Einarrson write?

4. In "Ulrikke," what happens between the narrator and Ulrikke?

5. In "Blue Tigers," what are the Blue Tigers?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "The Other," how does the elder Borges most successfully prove to the younger Borges that he is not dreaming their encounter?

2. In "The Yellow Rose," what is Marino's epiphany?

3. Is there a contradiction to the argument in "Argumentum Ornithologicum"?

4. In "The Interloper," do the Nelson brothers have any redeeming qualities?

5. In "Borges and I," who are the two Borgeses, and what is the relationship between them?

6. In "The Gospel According to Mark," why do the Gutres want to crucify Baltasar?

7. In "A Weary Man's Utopia," is the society described by the old man really a "utopia"?

8. Name some of the customs and beliefs of the strange group in "The Sect of Thirty."

9. In "Covered Mirrors," what is the narrator's attitude toward mirrors?

10. What does "Shakespeare's Memory" say about creating art?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Pick one of the stories and describe the point of view. How does the point of view affect the meaning of the story? Is the narrator's stance ironic? Comic? Straightforward? Deceitful? Objective? Etc.

Essay Topic 3

Existentialism is a philosophy that holds that one makes his own meaning from a life that is essentially absurd and meaningless. Is Borges an Existentialist? Does his method of writing, with its ambiguous meanings, and multiple possibilities imply existentialism? Choose at least one and up to three stories to support your argument. Be specific.

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