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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. Which of the following is not among Talita's preferred reading materials?

2. What country does Horacio go to before arriving in Argentina?

3. What request do many of the inmates have as they sign their names in Chapter 51?

4. What type of circus attraction does Manolo Traveler manage?

5. What nickname does Horacio give Pola in Chapter 92?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Traveler affected by Horacio in this section?

2. How do Traveler and Horacio put Talita in a ridiculous position in Chapter 41?

3. Describe Horacio's dream in Chapter 100.

4. Describe the argument that Ossip and Horacio have in this section.

5. How does the Serpent Club's final gathering end?

6. What indiscretion does Horacio commit in Chapter 54?

7. How does the novel end?

8. What is revealed in the tape recording of Chapter 47?

9. How does Traveler's codependency with Horacio manifest itself in this section?

10. Professionally, what changes for Traveler, Horacio and Talita in this section?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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