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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. What is the name of Carlos's youngest child?

2. What insects bite Rafa and Carlos in Chapter 5?

3. A diorama of which place fills Carlos's dining room?

4. As mentioned in Chapter 22, Carlos's wife buys him a poster of which actress?

5. Where does Carlos work?

Short Essay Questions

1. According to Chapter 22, with what are the boys sick and how do they handle it?

2. Where does Carlos see the Cuba-shaped clouds, and how does he feel about them?

3. How did Carlos's grandfather Amado die, and how old was he?

4. Explain what happens when people begin to shout "paredón."

5. Summarize the contents of the Cuban history lesson the boys receive at the beginning of Chapter 4.

6. What are the various Christmas traditions at the Nieto house, as described in Chapter 10?

7. Describe the incident in which the boys try to send something into orbit.

8. In Chapter 20, how does Louis XVI deal with the man at the door?

9. With regard to Fernando's prison term, what does "rehabilitation" mean?

10. Why does Carlos wish he could have been a Viking?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose a couple of minor characters, such as Inocencia or Pepito, and describe their reactions to Communism. How do they compare to the reactions of Carlos?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the irony inherent within the character El Loco as well as his role throughout the book. What does he symbolize? Why?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the themes of fear and risk-taking and how the two interact with each other in the novel.

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