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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. Whose poems is the narrator finally able to translate in the midst of his illness?

2. What color eyes does the narrator imagine the girl has when she is laughing?

3. What does the narrator rush to save from the leak in his house?

4. The narrator's column becomes ________.

5. What does the narrator shout at Rosa Cabarcas after she tries to explain the girl's appearance?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does the narrator trace the sleeping girl's hand?

2. What does the narrator imagine happened during the stormy night?

3. How does the narrator's feeling for the girl change his column?

4. What kind of objects does the narrator bring to the girl's room?

5. What does the narrator think is the real explanation for Rosa Cabarcas's long absence?

6. What is the narrator's experience like reading to the girl?

7. What happens with the narrator's cat in Chapter 4?

8. What gifts do the narrator and the girl exchange for Christmas?

9. What happens when the narrator sees a bicycle that has been hit by a bus?

10. Why does Rosa Cabarcas pull the narrator from the girl's bed one night?

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 is ironic about the narrator's ninetieth year? How does the author draw on this irony to illustrate a greater truth?

Essay Topic 3

How do the cultural and historical aspects of the setting impact the narrative? How do they impact the themes of morality and love?

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