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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. What does the Colonel say is the only frontier left for gringos?

2. How many days did the old gringo wander about the desert before finding the guerrillas?

3. What is the name of the family that hired Harriet?

4. How does the general respond to his ruined peso coin?

5. Where does the old gringo say that he wants to die?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Harriet figure out who the old gringo truly is?

2. How does the old gringo feel about Harriet Winslow's dreams?

3. How do the guerrilla soldiers react when they first see the old gringo cross the border into their territory?

4. What happens in the few moments leading up to the old gringo's death?

5. How does General Arroyo die?

6. How did La Luna's husband feel about servants?

7. What reaction does La Luna have to hearing of Arroyo's infidelity?

8. Who is Mr. Delaney?

9. What is the old gringo's first reaction to Harriet Winslow when he sees her in a crowd?

10. How does the old gringo find out General Arroyo's secret?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the novel, Harriet has two men that she views as a father figure. Compare and contrast the role that each of these men played in Harriet's life, and explain why she has the conflicted emotions that she does about who she should consider her "father".

Essay Topic 2

Harriet's mother is a depressed and depressing old woman in the beginning of the novel. Describe Harriet's mother and explain how she helped push Harriet away from America to the wilds of Mexico. Then, explain whether or not Harriet escaped her mother's fate and cite examples from the text to strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

The role of newspaper reporters has a lot of power in this novel. Explain the role that the written word had first in the old gringo's life during the Civil War, and compare and contrast this impact to the role newspaper journalists had in Harriet's life upon returning home to Mexico.

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This section contains 850 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample