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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. Who does Eufrasia claim is in love with Camilo?

2. Who does the narrator of Part II, Chapter 11, say committed a crime?

3. Who narrates Part I, Chapter 10?

4. While all others eat dinner silently, who speaks?

5. How does Rosaura react to Mrs. Milagros' questioning?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Eufrasia claim that the boarding house maid reacts to Camilo's wedding?

2. How does Camilo describe the way in which Rosaura came into his life in Part III?

3. How does Camilo describe his process as a painter? How did he paint Mrs. Milagros and her daughters?

4. How does Mrs. Milagros describe the wedding and the party afterward?

5. How does Rosaura first come to the boarding house? How is she greeted?

6. Why does Reguel claim he foresaw a crime? How does he describe Camilo's character?

7. How does Rosaura respond to Mrs. Milagros' questioning, and how does this make Mrs. Milagros feel?

8. How does Mrs. Milagros describe learning of a crime?

9. How does Reguel describe Mrs. Milagros and the other boarders?

10. Describe David Reguel's language.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Foreshadowing is used from the very beginning of the book, as mention is made that an investigation is happening, though the reader knows nothing of the crime or even the players involved. Describe two other ways in which foreshadowing and other ways of looking at time non-linearly contribute to the text.

Essay Topic 2

Solving the crime of who killed Rosaura is the pretext for all of the details in the text. Solving the mystery drives the text even before the reader is even aware of the nature of the crime. Describe the speculation of each of the characters on this crime, and finally answer the question of who killed Rosaura and why. Do you believe that this is an interesting or satisfactory resolution to the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Mrs. Milagros and David Reguel present very different pictures of the same thing -- life in Mrs. Milagros' boarding house -- especially with respect to the different personalities that reside at the house. Compare and contrast Milagros and Reguel's descriptions of the boarding house, the people who live there, and the crime that is under investigation. Is there one objective reality or are all perspectives valid? Which picture of reality do you think the author believes?

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