View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is Valentin?

2. What is Horacio doing in the dark in Chapter 28 when he discovers that Rocamadour has died?

3. Which of the following characters stays with Maga at the end of Chapter 28?

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

5. In Chapter 74, Morelli says that the true nonconformist is only concerned with what to things?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Ossip Gregorovius.

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

3. Why does Horacio get slapped by Bertha Trepat in Chapter 23?

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

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

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

7. What news do Babs and Ronald bring to Maga's apartment in Chapter 28?

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

HOPSCOTCH takes place in two large but intensely disparate cities: Paris and Buenos Aires. These two settings, and Horacio's attitude toward them, create two divergent tones within the novel. Write an essay about these two settings:

Part 1) What observations about the intellectual life in Paris does Horacio make at the beginning of the novel? How does this observation typify his attitude toward it as a setting? Write a paragraph noting several characters, locations and groups that represent the Paris of the novel.

Part 2) How is Buenos Aires markedly different from Paris in HOPSCOTCH? What is the tone of this setting, based upon the weather, the social gatherings, and the way in which Horacio must live in both? How is Buenos Aires more whimsical?

Part 3) Noting the differences between Paris and Buenos Aires above, write a summation paragraph discussing how the transition between the two locations indicates a shift in Horacio. What is the nature of this shift, and how does it affect him emotionally?

Essay Topic 2

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 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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,139 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample