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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. The narrator describes himself as ugly, shy and __________.

2. What book helped the narrator understand his mother's mood?

3. What does the narrator do the night after he first sees the girl?

4. Who would chaperone the narrator's evenings with his fiancé?

5. The narrator's students nicknamed him Professor ___________.

Short Essay Questions

1. How has the narrator supplemented his income over the years?

2. How does the narrator describe his writing desk?

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

4. Why does the narrator not consummate his first visit with the girl?

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

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

7. What do the narrator and Rosa Cabarcas discuss in phone calls the day following his first night with the girl?

8. What happens when the narrator is the honored guest at a concert? What does he remember most from the evening?

9. What does the narrator decide to give himself for a birthday gift?

10. How would the narrator court his fiancé?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the difference between the life in time and the life by value as embodied by the narrator in "Memories of My Melancholy Whores"? Give specific examples from the book to support your discussion.

Essay Topic 2

What could the message scrawled in lipstick in the mirror mean and what is the larger purpose for this element of the plot? Give examples from the book to support your discussion.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the theme of the individual versus society as it affects both the narrative and morality of the novel.

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