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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. How does Makina’s gunshot wound feel when she washes up?

2. What did the man-who-struck-it-rich not have, which kept him from impressing Makina the way he had planned?

3. What does Makina say to the people who are swallowed by the sinkhole?

4. What has the sinkhole already swallowed?

5. How does Makina say the people in the anglogaggle react to the machines at the self-checkout?

Short Essay Questions

1. What arrangement does Mr. Double-U make for Makina?

2. What is the obsidian mound that gives this chapter its name?

3. How does the narrator say things went for the man who tried to teach Makina a lesson in public?

4. What does Makina need to do to get access to Mr. Double-U and Mr. Aitch?

5. What kind of relationship does Makina have with her boyfriend?

6. What makes Makina impatient to finish the errand her mother has given her?

7. Who is Makina?

8. What danger does Makina face in making her trip?

9. What is Makina’s impression of the people she sees in the city?

10. Who do Makina and Chucho encounter on their trip from the river in Chapter 3, and how do they escape from this person?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Where is the climax of this book? Are there different climaxes? What questions does each climax resolve? What questions does each climax leave unanswered?

Essay Topic 2

What topics would you like to research further, after reading Signs Preceding the End of the World? Describe why additional research or reading would be beneficial to an understanding of this book. Propose a list of articles or books you would read in order to get a better handle on Signs Preceding the End of the World.

Essay Topic 3

Explore the role of the helper characters in Signs Preceding the End of the World. From Chucho to the old women and men, Makina gets assistance from a number of places. What do these supporting characters have in common? How do they compare to the characters who threaten Makina? What do those characters have in common as well?

What are the values that animate supporting characters on either side? How do these supporting characters, both benevolent and threatening, imply competing world views?

(see the answer keys)

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