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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who approaches Dr. Stephen Albert's house while he and Dr. Yu Tsun are conversing?
(a) Ts'ui Pen.
(b) Richard Madden.
(c) British soldiers.
(d) Vietcong.

2. In "Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius", what country are the characters searching for in the The Anglo-American Encyclopedia?
(a) Tlon.
(b) Tertius.
(c) Uqbar.
(d) Zion.

3. How is the lottery unusual?
(a) People trade food for lottery tickets.
(b) There are adverse outcomes for some players.
(c) Winners are sent into exile.
(d) A new drawing after the death of the previous lottery winner.

4. Where is "The Babylon Lottery" set?
(a) Qaphqa.
(b) Las Vegas.
(c) Ancient Babylon.
(d) Modern day Iraq.

5. Who is Dr. Yu Tsun?
(a) A spy.
(b) A statesman.
(c) A professor.
(d) A soldier.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which poetic form is discovered among Pierre Menard's manuscripts?

2. According to the narrator, what is the most important theme of "The Approach of Al-Mu'tasim"?

3. Which author corresponds with the narrator in "Pierre Menard, Author of Don Quixote"?

4. How many stories are contained in April March?

5. Who is Miguel de Cervantes?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Herbert Quain.

2. What fear does the Company in "The Babylon Lottery" inspire?

3. What is the significance of the student in "The Approach of Al-Mu'tasim" relinquishing his social status?

4. In "The Circular Ruins," what fear does the protagonist have for his son?

5. In "The Circular Ruins," what revelation does the protagonist have about his own identity?

6. Why do some players of the Babylon lottery end up in jail?

7. Describe the second dream from "The Circular Ruins."

8. What inconsistencies exist in the writings of Herbert Quain?

9. What opinion does Pierre Menard have of Cervantes' "Don Quixote"?

10. In "The Examination of the World of Herbert Quain," how does Borges use fictional literature to present his themes?

(see the answer keys)

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