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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. Who does Horacio quote in Chapter 116?

2. According to La Maga at the end of Chapter 3, how does Horacio relate to life?

3. What is the profession of the man who is hit by a car in Chapter 21?

4. In Chapter 4, what new information about herself does La Maga tell Horacio?

5. How many pieces of the music recital in Chapter 23 are written by Berthe Trepat?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is La Maga irate in Chapter 93?

2. How is the reader introduced to Manolo Traveler in Chapter 143?

3. What is Ossip's diagnosis of Horacio in Chapter 16?

4. What point regarding observation does Horacio make in Chapter 84?

5. Why are Maga and Horacio so affected by the fish in Chapter 8?

6. What is Rocamadour's place in La Maga and Horacio's relationship?

7. In Chapter 26, what reason does Ossip offer for Horacio's leaving?

8. How do Maga and Horacio view the meaning of their precarious dates differently in Chapter 6?

9. What is Horacio doing in the Ponts des Arts in Chapter 1?

10. When does Chapter 7 appear to take place, and why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The second book of HOPSCOTCH deals primarily with the pained triangle that develops between the Travelers and Horacio. Write an essay about this triangle, assessing what each participant gains and risks from it. How does Manolo Traveler begin to deteriorate mentally and emotionally after Horacio arrives in Buenos Aires? Discuss why this is, and why he insists on keeping Horatio close. How is Talita affected by this codependency and how does this manifest itself in the events of Book 2? In summation, to what climax does all the fretting of this triangle lead?

Essay Topic 2

The fictional guru of Cortazar's Hopscotch is the iconoclast writer Morelli. Morelli at once represents a lofty literary ideal and stands in for Cortazar himself. Write an essay about the character of Morelli, focusing on three parts:

Part 1) Most of Morelli's texts have to do with destroying old literary conventions rather than creating new ones. What conventions does he most pointedly insist be destroyed? Why does he dislike them so intently? How does he think they mar literature?

Part 2) Morelli speaks often in the novel about literature being a surrogate experience. What does this mean? How does Morelli want the reader to relate to the novel? What particularly provocative ideas does Morelli have for achieving this?

Part 3) How is Morelli a fictional stand-in for Julio Cortazar? How are Cortazar's ideas similar to Morelli's? To what extent is Morelli, when the reader meets him in the expendable chapters, writing the novel HOPSCOTCH?

Essay Topic 3

Much of the conflict in Cortazar's novel centers around Horacio's relationships with various women. These relationships are tinted with contention, passion, and eventual tragedy. Write an essay about three such involvements:

Part 1) How is Horacio's involvement with La Maga the central relationship of the novel? What does La Maga represent that is so at odd with Horacio's worldview, and how does this conflict manifest itself? Discuss the tragedy that occurs in Book 1 that drives the two apart irrevocably.

Part 2) What is the nature of Horacio's affair with Pola? What aspects of her personality and background make her a compelling alternative to La Maga? Write an essay about their brief affair and the tragedy that ends it.

Part 3) Why does Horacio kiss Talita at the end of the novel? Has there been any indication that he is attracted to her heretofore? Write an essay about Horacio's relationship with Talita and how it reflects a slow and subtle disassociation with reality. What is the fallout of the kiss?

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