View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Allende think is the most beautiful part of Chile?

2. Who lures Allende into the woods for inappropriate reasons?

3. What was Pablo's passion?

4. The book is written as if it were _______________.

5. What nationality was Michael?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Allende's son, Nicolas, during his teenage years in Caracas.

2. What does Allende recall about the political unrest in Lebanon where the family was living in the late 1950s?

3. What does Allende reveal about her love for nature and how she first came to realize it?

4. What are the circumstances that bring Allende back in contact with her father and his side of the family?

5. What was life like for the newly-married Allende and her first husband, Michael?

6. What information does Allende provide to begin her book?

7. What other relatives come to the hospital to visit Paula?

8. How do Allende and Ernesto differ in their outlooks for Paula's condition?

9. Allende decides to take Paula home with her to San Francisco and acknowledges that Paul's illness is the second major tragedy in her life? What does she say was the first?

10. Compare Allende's physical surroundings with her internal state.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Allende's work is sometimes categorized as magic realism. Explain what that means to you and why it is a common categorization for Latin writers especially. Cite an example that supports this classification of Allende's writing.

Essay Topic 2

Describe the role of Tio Ramon in Allende's life. What was his impact on her life? What was the evolution of their relationship? Cite some examples to support your answers.

Essay Topic 3

Explain the irony of Allende's mother leaving her first husband because of scandal yet never marrying Tio Ramon with whom she lived as husband and wife. Why did she make these decisions and why is it a situation of irony? Can you cite any other examples of irony in Allende's story?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,082 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample