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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 God of the Labyrinth?

2. In "The Approach to Al-Mu'tasim," why does the student decide to travel the country?

3. In "Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius", what topic is the narrator discussing when the subject of the encyclopedia is brought up?

4. Who is Dr. Yu Tsun?

5. What do the stories in April March share?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Dr. Yu Tsun murder Dr. Albert?

2. How is the universe described in "The Library of Babel"?

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

4. How does the Babylon lottery cause an uprising?

5. Describe Herbert Quain.

6. What opinion does the narrator of "Pierre Menard, Author of Don Quixote" have of Menard's work?

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

8. In "Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius," what dispute arises from the discussion about mirrors?

9. Describe Al-Mu'tasim.

10. What is discovered among the late Herbert Ashe's belongings?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare Borges' style of writing with the genre of hypertext fiction. How is "Ficciones" a precursor to hypertext fiction? What are the "forking paths" in "Garden of the Forking Paths"? What does Borges mean when he asks his readers to "become aware of all the possible choices we might make"?

Essay Topic 2

How does Borges use fictional and legitimate literature to express his themes? What effect does the use of historically accurate references and literature have on the realism of Borges' work? What effect does the insertion of both fictional and legitimate literature have on the reader's perception of his work?

Essay Topic 3

How does Borges use savants to express the themes of his work? What social implications does he draw from savant abilities? What are the positive and negative consequences that Borges associates with the growth of the human mind?

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