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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. How many bags of groceries does Molina's mother usually bring him?

2. What does Irena turn into when she becomes jealous?

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

4. With whom does the Warden tell Molina to say he has met?

5. Why is the star of the show interrogated?

Short Essay Questions

1. What story is the newspaper reporter working on back at his office?

2. What happens to the race car driver in the beginning of the new story Molina starts?

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

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

5. What is the Warden's new plan to learn more about Valentin's comrades?

6. What occurs when Valentin gets mad at Molina?

7. Why is Molina in the meeting at the beginning of the chapter?

8. What is Valentin's opinion of movies?

9. What does the letter Valentin receives reveal to him?

10. Describe the two men who are being held in the prison in the beginning of the story.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The idea of gender is something that is pursued in a subtle way in this manuscript. In moving back and forth between what is "masculine" and what is "feminine," the reader begins to ask questions of his/her own definitions of these terms as well.

Part 1: What are some examples of femininity in this story?

Part 2: What are some examples of masculinity in this story?

Part 3: What does the author seem to be saying about the definition of gender as it relates to this story? Is it important? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Molina and Valentin could not be more different, it seems. These two cell mates are locked up with each other for six months, so they will have no other choice but to get to know each other quite well.

Part 1: How are Molina and Valentin similar?

Part 2: How are Molina and Valentin dissimilar?

Part 3: If Molina and Valentin met each other on the street, would they be able to talk as they do in this story? Why or why not?

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)

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