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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. In Chapter 17, what does Ossip tell Maga is Horacio's problem?

2. In Chapter 71, Morelli argues that man can achieve nothing by looking to where?

3. How does Guy Monod attempt to kill himself?

4. Who arrives at Maga's flat with news that Guy Monod is not dead in Chapter 28?

5. What type of garden does the writer in Chapter 134 recommend to beginners?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Horacio's goal for living in Paris?

2. How does Horacio meet Berthe Trepat?

3. Why is La Maga irate in Chapter 93?

4. How does the Serpent Club relate to La Maga?

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

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

7. What is the Club's Principle problem with the theories of Morelli, as stated in Chapter 141?

8. What event is taking place in this section?

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

10. What awful event does Maga describe in Chapter 15?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss in an essay the virtue of empathy as it relates to Horacio. As a protagonist, does Horacio seem to have empathy for anyone? Is he essentially a selfish human being? Cite examples from his time in Paris to justify your answers to the above prompts. Discuss his evening with Berthe Trepat as a fierce determination to show empathy to another person. Why does he do this and how does it fail? In his final moment in the novel, does Horacio make a decision based on empathy for those he loves or selfishness?

Essay Topic 2

The characters of HOPSCOTCH can almost universally be described as intellects. They read constantly that they may spend the rest of their hours debating text and theory. Write an essay about Cortazar's attitude toward theory in an essay in three parts:

Part 1) This fixation on theory is perhaps best illustrated with the protagonist, Horacio. Write an essay examining his obsession with texts and proofs. How does this fixation affect his everyday life? What criticism does he receive from his friends as a result?

Part 2) Spend a paragraph discussing the gatherings and discussions of the Serpent Club. What dialectical arguments do they have to pass the time, and why is La Maga so often ostracized from them? What prerequisites exist for inclusion?

Part 3) Book 1 seems to climax at a moment when, as Horacio observes, dialectical argument proves insufficient. What is this moment? How does this moment shatter the wall of theory built by the Club? What happens to the club as a result?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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