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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 eventually talks to the old man upstairs in Chapter 28?

2. In Chapter 109, how does Morelli say he tells a character's story?

3. In Chapter 2, where does Rocamadour live before coming to live with Horacio and Maga?

4. Why does Maga say she won't go to sleep in Chapter 26?

5. Why does Rocamadour move in with Maga and Horacio in Chapter 19?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. In Chapter 115, what surrogate experience does Morelli describe?

4. How does Maga and Horacio's sex life become eerily unhealthy in Chapter 5?

5. What conversation regarding their relationship do Maga and Horacio have in Chapter 20?

6. What criticism does Maga make of Horacio at the end of Chapter 3?

7. Why does La Maga feel responsible for Pola's death in Chapter 27?

8. Why does Horacio become resentful of La Maga in Chapter 12?

9. How are La Maga and Horacio different?

10. What is Maga doing when Horacio arrives in Chapter 28?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The motif of madness permeates the second book of HOPSCOTCH to the point that by the end even the reader is unsure what is real and what is not. Write an essay on the topic of madness, focusing on the character of Horacio. What begins his spiral away from sanity? How does encroaching madness manifest itself at first, and how does it accelerate when he begins to work at the mental hospital? In the end, how is Horacio unable to process reality?

Essay Topic 2

Ossip Gregorovius and Horacio Oliveira are at odds with each other for the entirety of the first book of the novel. Write an essay about their rivalry as it relates both to dominance in the Serpent Club and the affections of La Maga. What about Ossip disgusts Horacio and vice versa? How is Ossip able to play toward Horacio's weaknesses as events conspire to deflate Horacio? What indication is there that Ossip actually has an affair with Maga? In summation, discuss what final critique Ossip makes of Horacio after Maga has disappeared.

Essay Topic 3

Julio Cortazar juxtaposed two couples in the novel: Horacio and La Maga, and Manolo and Talita Traveler. Write an essay comparing and contrasting these couples and exploring how the author juxtaposes them. How do both intensely doubt the validity of their love? What is their reason for feeling this way? Which seems to be the stronger couple? In summation, why do you think one relationship survives and the other falls apart?

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