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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 weapon does Inigo take from Luis de la Cruz?

2. What country does the narrator say despises Spain?

3. What did Diego Alatriste enlist as in the army?

4. What is it always good to have a sense of before the dance?

5. What had Alatriste told Inigo to do once he had opened the side door?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Alatriste force the two boys to back down in this section?

2. What problems does the Inquisition already have with the de la Cruzes?

3. How is Inigo caught in this section?

4. How does Alatriste's situation mirror that of Spain's?

5. How did Alatriste Kill the young nephew of Conde de Guadalmedina?

6. Describe the woman who has been killed at the beginning of this section?

7. What does Vicente say about Coroado?

8. How does Inigo respond to questioning regarding his family name?

9. How does Inigo earn the soldier's respect in this section?

10. How does Inigo let Altriste down again in this section?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Away from the main character, examine the way the author uses the other characters in the book. When does he introduce and take them away from the story? What effect does it have on the story?

Essay Topic 2

What does the book suggest about how Spanish society dealt with Jewish people in the 17th century? Why does the theme of anti-semitism still have a powerful impact in 2006?

Essay Topic 3

Choose one of Arturo Perez-Reverte's previous book and contrast it with the Purity of Blood in terms of the following: style, structure, and themes.

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