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 does the man invite to meet his new partner?

2. The woman in this story is from __________.

3. Who is spoken of negatively, making the main character of the story walk out on the visit with the father?

4. Why is Leni invited to the city in #40?

5. Why is the story at the end not actually about the person in #78? (Or is it?)

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens when Valentin has a bad attack of diarrhea?

2. What does the husband tell the zombie woman as he is dying?

3. What is the setting of the new movie Molina wants to share with Valentin?

4. What happens when Irena sees her husband in the office late at night with his assistant?

5. Why does the son feel guilty during the race car driver story?

6. Who are some of the old friends and family Molina contacts once he is out of the prison?

7. What does the zombie woman do to the husband?

8. What does Valentin say helps him escape his cell and his reality?

9. How do the man and the woman meet in the first movie Molina describes to Valentin?

10. Who does Valentin say is also secondary to his cause and to his goals in terms of social revolution?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The stories Molina shares seem to be without any connection to the men or to the questioning Molina is supposed to be doing.

Part 1: What is the story that seems to relate most to Molina and Valentin? Why?

Part 2: Why do you think Molina chooses to tell these stories to Valentin instead of directly asking questions?

Part 3: Choose one story, describe it, and then discuss why Molina might have chosen to tell that story at the time.

Essay Topic 2

The format of this story is much different from other stories and novels. From the lack of description and narrative to the different punctuation for the dialogue, it seems the reader has to work harder in order to grasp the importance of each scene.

Part 1: Why do you think Puig decided to use the dialogue format he did?

Part 2: Why might Puig have decided to leave out the traditional narrative sections as one might see in other books?

Part 3: How did the new structure affect the way you read the book? In what ways was reading this book more challenging? Less challenging?

Essay Topic 3

The idea of love is one that emerges right from the beginning of the story when Molina tells the story of the movie. The theme of love continues to emerge in the subsequent chapters.

Part 1: How is love portrayed in this story? In what ways does Puig describe it to the audience?

Part 2: Does love seem to be a positive or a negative force in the lives of these men? Support your answer.

Part 3: In what ways is love made larger than life in this story?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 716 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample