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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. When Justina is in the marketplace, what is her complaint?

2. What is the name of don Pedro's lawyer?

3. How long does Justina take care of Susana?

4. What is the name of Susana's servant?

5. What month does Susana's mother die in?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why doesn't Abundio's wife get last rites?

2. Why does don Pedro want Susana's father to disappear in the mines?

3. Why do Angeles and Fausta think Susana doesn't need confess her sins?

4. What does Justina tell Susana she is going to tell don Pedro when he comes?

5. When the reader first hears Susana's narrative, where does she think she is?

6. What does doña Inés want Abundio to tell his dead wife?

7. What does Gerardo's wife tell him before he visits don Pedro?

8. Why is Villalpando in such a bad mood?

9. What happens during Father Rentería's confession?

10. Why does Susana reject Father Rentería in her last living moments?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

"Pedro Páramo" has several structural elements that appear often in Modernist and Surrealist literature. Explain how the novel uses the following:

- Circular narrative

- Stories within stories

- Setting shifts

How do each of these contribute to the development of the plot.

Essay Topic 2

The women in the novel are very vulnerable characters who often are at the mercy of evil, controlling men. Select at least three of the following characters and analyze their place in the context of the novel:

- Dolores

- Eduviges

- Susana

- Damiana

- Donis' sister

Addressing the following questions:

- How does the character react to her fate?

- How is the character motivated by factors related to her gender?

- How do other characters treat her?

- Overall, do you think women are totally powerless in the novel? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Susana represents two sides of our natures: the physical and the spiritual, the body versus the soul. Susana rejects the spiritual realm and instead revels in sensual, corporeal pleasures and sensations. Give at least three examples of the text where Susana remembers a physical, bodily experience. How does her nature affect her fate? Do you think her sensual nature is at all to blame for the nature of her relationship with Pedro? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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