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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 is the author of Love, Your Only Mother?

2. Where is the author of Iguana Hunting from?

3. Where is the university student in La Volpaia heading to by train?

4. The author of Homage to Isaac Babel is listed as being from England and where?

5. Who is the author of House Opposite?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the central plot in The Elephant? Why does the protagonist choose to build an inflatable elephant?

2. What is the central conflict facing the family in An Insolvable Problem of Genetics? How do they go about remedying it?

3. What happens to the narrator's friend in At the River? How does he discover this?

4. Describe the structure of Welcoming the Board of Directors. How does the author use metaphor in the narrative?

5. What is the setting of Blue? What is troubling the citizens in the narrative?

6. What is the central theme in At the River? How is this manifested in the central characters?

7. What event has taken place in the beginning of Death of the Right Fielder? What actions do the characters take?

8. Discuss and describe the imagery in the story Blackberries. How does this imagery support the narrative's themes?

9. Who is the central character in Love, Your Only Mother? What does she receive regularly in the mail?

10. What is the taboo subject central in the story The Boy? How does the narrative play out?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss August 25, 1983 and The Elephant, comparing the characters, settings, symbolism and themes in each piece. How does the character of Borges relate to the director in The Elephant?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the plot, characters and narrative style of One of These Days. How does this story differ from Marquez's more well-known works? What political themes are evident in the narrative?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the setting of At the River and analyze the story's principle theme of age. How does this story's depiction of aging relate to others in the anthology?

(see the answer keys)

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