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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. Where does Carlos work?

2. According to a magazine mentioned in Chapter 19, in what year is the world expected to end?

3. What type of car does Carlos ride to school?

4. A statue of which saint resides at Aunt Carmela's house?

5. In Chapter 10, where does Carlos state he would like to be buried?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens when the police stop Fernando's car in Chapter 26?

2. Explain the concept of Gelassenheit.

3. Describe what Carlos sees at the dining room window in Chapter 6.

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

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

6. How do Louis XVI's staff members treat him and his family? Why?

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

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

9. What is the significance of the mamey pit to Carlos?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe how Carlos's use of setting helps the reader visualize and experience the political events of the book.

Essay Topic 2

Describe Carlos's use of writing techniques to propel the plot forward quickly in the scene of his experiencing the gunfight in the park.

Essay Topic 3

Describe the relationship between history and memory in this book. In your opinion, is this book more about Carlos's memories or more about history? Explain your thoughts, using as much detail from the text as you can remember.

(see the answer keys)

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