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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. Which of the following does NOT surprise the old gringo when he arrives in Mexico?

2. How does the old gringo say goodbye to Harriet before leaving for Zacatecas?

3. What does the old gringo fear will happen to Harriet while in Mexico?

4. What does the Colonel claim gringos come to the land of the Aztecs to do?

5. How many children did the old gringo have?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Mr. Delaney?

2. What happened to each of the old gringo's children?

3. What childhood memory does Arroyo have of don Graciano?

4. Why did Harriet and her mother move from New York to Washington D.C.?

5. What vanities does the old gringo have, and how do the other soldiers respond to them?

6. What do the Mexican soldiers joke about with the old gringo when he is allowed to dine with them?

7. What is the nature of the conversation which transpires between the old gringo and the man who is selling him his horse?

8. How has Harriet come to be alone in Mexico?

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

10. What happens when the old gringo meets an old couple living in a tiny hut on the border of Mexico?

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

The women in the Mexican village play an important role in distinguishing gender roles in the novel. Explain the role the women villagers had in their home, and then discuss the reaction, the old gringo and Harriet, each had to the gender roles present in Mexico at this time.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 916 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample