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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 was the basis for Allende's writing as a child?

2. What happens when Allende's father is involved in scandals in Peru?

3. Who seems more fatalistic about Paula's possible death?

4. Who is Tomas?

5. Where does Allende's mother work to support her children?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Allende and her family have such a difficult time adapting to life in Caracas?

2. What accommodations have been made for Paula in Allende's home?

3. What topic does Allende turn to during the dark days of waiting at the hospital in Spain?

4.

5. What are Ernesto's perceptions of Paula at this point in time?

6. Describe the format of the book.

7. Explain some of Allende's activities in Chile that put her family in danger.

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

9. What was the nature of Allende's affair with a married man in Caracas?

10. How did Tio Ramon come to be a father figure for Allende?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What do you think are the three main sorrows in Allende's life? Cite examples to support your answers. Explain how Allende grows from these experiences.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Allende's independent attitude and controversial choices in relation to the burgeoning Women's Rights movement in the 1960s and 1970s. Cite some examples that indicate that Allende embraced the new attitudes and roles for women. In what ways does Allende fit both the typical and atypical roles of Latin women?

Essay Topic 3

Explain the nature of this book and why the author created it the way she did. Why did she choose to create a collection of diary entries to tell her story? Is it effective? How is it different from reading a regular novel? How is it the same?

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