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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. Why is Tomas's mother increasingly worried about him in Chatper Ten?

2. Where does Isabel ask Tomas to get a job so he can spy for the Montoneros in Chapter Ten?

3. In Chapter Sixteen, what does Tomas discover about the Colonel that is a secret?

4. What does Anibal ask Tomas to do for him in Chapter Fifteen that is unusual?

5. Who does Anibal tell Tomas he seemed to be the most upset over dying?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Tomas ask Isabel to arrange for the Priests's killing?

2. What does Gustavo tell Tomas and Pichuca to do on the drive to his house with Isabel?

3. What would happen to prisoners who needed a defibrillator if Tomas was on his days off?

4. What job does the Colonel end up arranging for Tomas?

5. Why is Tomas's mother getting increasingly worried about him in Buenos Aires in Chapter Ten?

6. Where does Isabel ask Tomas to try to get a job in Chapter Ten?

7. What is one major problem Tomas's wife Claire has confronted him about, which he recalls in Chapter 10?

8. What do Tomas's co-workers at Automotores call him, and why?

9. Why does Tomas feel especially sorry for Elizabeth?

10. What happens when Tomas's mother visits in Chapter 11?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Loedel's own family history, as he describes it in the afterword, inform his writing of this novel? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay exploring how Loedel establishes and maintains a sense of suspense throughout this novel, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

What are some of the foundations of Tomas's relationship with the Colonel? Write an essay explaining your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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