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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. For how many years did the narrator's fiancé leave the country after he left her at the altar?

2. What is the name of the narrator's housekeeper?

3. What does the narrator say caused him to lose all his lovers?

4. What day does the narrator's column appear in the paper?

5. What is the name of the girl to whom the narrator was engaged?

Short Essay Questions

1. What request did the narrator's mother make on her deathbed?

2. What evidence does the narrator give of how he is aging?

3. How does Rosa treat the narrator when he comes to meet the girl?

4. How does the narrator describe his writing desk?

5. What is the narrator's experience like when he goes to the animal shelter to pick up his cat?

6. What kind of gifts does the narrator get from the newspaper staff for his birthday?

7. What was the contrast between the narrator's sex life and his regular life?

8. What is the only long term relationship in the narrator's life?

9. What is the narrator's relationship like with his housekeeper?

10. How would the narrator court his fiancé?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the difference between the flat and round characters in "Memories of My Melancholy Whores." What purpose did the girl serve in the narrative? What purpose did Rosa Cabarcas serve? Give examples from the book to support your discussion.

Essay Topic 2

What qualities does the narrator embody both as a character and as a narrator of the story? What makes him a reliable or unreliable narrator?

Essay Topic 3

What is the purpose of the narrator investigating the young girl hit by a bus on her bicycle? Why does the narrator go to the hospital in order to see the victim? What is the greater truth he discovers while he is there?

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