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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. All of the Vicario children had been raised to:

2. After Santiago's death, Placida Linero consoles herself by looking over the balcony at what?

3. The narrator believes his mother should have known about the murder plot because:

4. Pura Vicario knows bad news is coming because of what?

5. Bayardo San Roman is described as:

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the narrator's recount of mundane details do for the story?

2. Aside from the code of honor exhibited by the Vicario twins, what other family values are exhibited in the book?

3. Describe the difference between the opinions of Santiago Nasar's equals and those of the class below him.

4. Why is it significant that Bayardo has not opened Angela's letters?

5. Describe the Arab community's reaction to Santiago's death.

6. What opposing ideas or concepts are apparent in the chapter?

7. Underneath the "proper" appearances of the characters in this chapter, many ugly truths lie. What does this suggest about the townspeople?

8. Why do the townspeople continue to support the twins' actions, even after the barbarous act is committed?

9. What is suggested by the phrase, "My sister felt the angel pass by?"

10. What ironies occur on the morning of Santiago's death?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Many dreams are described in detail in the novel. Freud said, "Unless the content of the dream rightly understood is inspired by alien spirits, it is part of [one's] own being." In an essay, connect Freud's belief to the author's use of dreams in the novel. Consider how the character's dreams reveal part of each character's being, and what is being revealed.

Essay Topic 2

Consider the magistrate's note, "Give me a prejudice and I will move the world." Write an essay in which you connect the statement to the events of the novel, identifying the prejudices that motivate the characters and contribute to the themes of the novel.

Essay Topic 3

Select an instance where the tone shifts in the novel and explore what the tone indicates about theme.

(see the answer keys)

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