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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 is the last thing that Juan sees before he dies?

2. What does the burro driver tell Juan happens to don Pedro?

3. What promise does Dolorita and Eduviges make to each other?

4. Where is Miguel's spirit been seen in the first days after his death?

5. How long have the man and woman been in Comala?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does don Pedro want to marry Dolores?

2. What does Damiana tell Juan about Comala?

3. How does what happens to Toribio Aldrete confirm don Pedro's immoral behavior?

4. How is Comala different from how Juan's mother describes it?

5. Why does Fulgor end up working with don Pedro even after don Lucas' death?

6. What is Dorotea's first dream?

7. What clues are you given as to the boy's family's financial situation?

8. How do Pedro and Dolores part ways?

9. Why are the two women that Juan encounters in the street worried?

10. How does the woman explain her sin during confession?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

As Juan Preciado explains when he realizes that he is being haunted, "I don't know. I see things and people where you may not see anything." The people of Comala are literally being haunted by the ghosts of the dead, but the novel also shows how the characters are figuratively haunted by memories of their past, by their regrets and by the actions of other. Select at least three of the following characters and explain what memories they are haunted by:

- Pedro

- Susana

- Father Rentería

- Dorotea

- Donis' sister

Essay Topic 2

In the novel, Pedro thinks: "Nothing can last forever. There isn't any memory, no matter how intense, that doesn't fade out at last" (95). Do you agree with this? Cite evidence from the text that supports your conclusion. Do any of the memories that affect the characters lives fade out? Which memories do not fade away? How do these memories affect the characters' fates?

Essay Topic 3

One of the themes that runs through the novel is the nature of redemption and hope in a person's life. Select one of the following characters and explain what gives them hope during their lives:

- Juan

- Pedro

- Susana

- Dolores

- Dorotea

Address how (or if) they are able to find any sort of redemption in the afterlife. How do you know this from the novel?

(see the answer keys)

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