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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 Mexico City, what embassy does Lee go to after the Cuban embassy brushes him off?

2. What does lee call the article he writes at the end of the chapter?

3. What do Le and Marina do a short time after they meet?

4. In 2 July, what does Ferrie want from Carmine Latta?

5. What gadget does the FBI provide Oswald with?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Lee Oswald decide to kill General Walker?

2. Describe the interviews Oswald has in Moscow?

3. What does Oswald do in Dallas prior to killing Kennedy?

4. How does Lee Oswald try to expedite his meeting with Soviet agents after his suicide attempt?

5. Why is Oswald brought back to Moscow?

6. What strange items has the CIA curator provided Branch with?

7. Why does Carmine Latta help with the assassination attempt?

8. What do Frank and Raymo commiserate about on July 2nd?

9. How does Mackey subvert the assassination ploy on July 15th?

10. On August 12th, what concerns does Win Everett express to Parmenter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Libra's central topic is the Kennedy assassination, but he also incorporates connections to other military-political events of the time. Write an essay about three of these events. What is their Cold War significance? How, in Libra, do they connect to the story of Lee Oswald? Are these connections historically accurate or largely invented by the author?

Part 1) The U-2 Incident

Part 2) The Bay of Pigs

Part 3) The General Walker shooting

Essay Topic 2

The main framing device of the two narratives of Libra is the figure of Nicholas Branch. In an essay, discuss the Branch storyline in the novel. Who is Nicholas Branch, and what is his objective in the novel? How does his life devolve in a fashion similar to Oswald's? Discuss the extent to which the rest of Libra is the product of Nicholas Branch's work.

Essay Topic 3

The character of Marina Oswald is distinctly passive compared to the other major figures of the novel. Write an essay about Marina's function in Libra. How do she and Lee meet, and why does she come with him to America? Discuss how she reacts to his increasingly unhinged personality, including her coping with domestic abuse. How does Marina respond to the realization that Oswald killed the President?

(see the answer keys)

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