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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. To prepare the little cardboard strips to become matches, they should be coated with potassium nitrate and ____________.

2. Before the worst of the physical symptoms began, __________ left the reception.

3. What is Tita's reaction to the private conversation between her and Pedro?

4. Who comes to visit the women in the kitchen, asking for one of the daughter's hands in marriage?

5. From miles away, __________ sees the rose scented cloud from Gertrudis.

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is the pantry at the ranch suddenly severely depleted in its stock?

2. Why wasn't Tita upset about the frying of her little sausage creatures during the holiday season?

3. What does Pedro share with Tita in a private moment before his wedding which makes her change her mood?

4. Why does Tita wish her mother was at the wedding preparations she is working on?

5. What is the occasion Tita is preparing the turkeys for?

6. What is Rosaura's health problem since giving birth to her baby girl?

7. Why won't the cake batter thicken as Tita is stirring it in preparation for the wedding of Pedro and Rosaura?

8. Why does the solider initially go to see Gertrudis when she is out in the field?

9. What does John ask Tita to do in order to answer the question of why she does not speak?

10. When Tita tells Rosaura that she married her boyfriend, what is Rosaura's response to this?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Pedro is one of the few male characters in this story and he doesn't seem to be a very strong one.

Part 1: Why doesn't Pedro fight to be with Tita when he asks to marry her in the beginning?

Part 2: Why does Pedro go ahead with his marriage to Rosaura?

Part 3: Do you think Pedro is a coward? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

While at times, it seems some of the characters surrender to Mama, these are actually points at which the daughters are standing up to her.

Part 1: Why is Tita actually becoming saner when she has spent a night up in the dovecote?

Part 2: When Gertrudius takes off her clothes and runs, why is this not as crazy a thing as it seems? Or is it?

Part 3: In what ways does Rosaura also lose her 'sanity,' though it's actually a sign of her strength? And if this is not the case for her, what makes her different from the others?

Essay Topic 3

When Tita has cried into the wedding cake, her tears seem to have a magical effect on the guests, causing them to feel their lost loves and to become violently ill.

Part 1: Do you think the sickness described in this particular scene could have actually happened? Why or why not?

Part 2: If the author is simply using magical realism to tell the story, why would they have done so?

Part 3: Does the fact that this scene does not seem possible affect its importance to the story or to the reader?

(see the answer keys)

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