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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 condition of the priest as he heads home from the plantation?

2. What prompts Mr. Trench to invite the stranger to his house?

3. What information does the priest get from the Chief of Police?

4. What does the priest hear as he crosses the river on his mule?

5. How does the mestizo attempt to get the priest to admit that he is a priest?

Short Essay Questions

1. After the priest gets his bottle of wine, what happens to it?

2. Explain how Greene establishes the character of Father José.

3. After the priest on his mule crosses the river, what happens that is cause for alarm?

4. What is the conversation like inside Mr. Trench's house?

5. As the lieutenant walks through the town, what indicates that he is the main antagonist in the novel?

6. Describe the scene in the town as Mr. Trench walks through it.

7. The mother who reads religious stories to her children is important in the story. How does Greene use this family to punctuate the fact that the common people want the Church returned?

8. Describe the condition of Father José at that time.

9. Who comes knocking at the door and what does he want?

10. What feeling does Greene evoke with the introduction of the mestizo?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Governmental prohibition of anything never works. In the novel, the government is trying to prohibit religion to the point of completely stamping it out. In a parallel example, hard liquor and wine are prohibited as well. Write a paper on how Greene uses this to subtly suggest the prohibition of religion will fail as well.

Essay Topic 2

Write a paper about the mestizo as a personification of Satan. Use examples of his physical description and his cunning ways to show how he, and not the lieutenant, is the representation of pure evil in the novel. Include the interaction between him and the priest to show how he was able to use the priest's deep seated faith to work against him.

Essay Topic 3

Father José represents religious people who are religious for the wrong reasons and without loyalty. His weakness is selfishness and fear. Write an essay about how real commitment is determined by what a person is willing to give up to remain loyal to that commitment.

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This section contains 1,031 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample