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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. In "Punch and Whisky," why does Liz use lemons and oranges to make her punch?

2. In "But We Don't Have Any Weapons," what does China Iron reveal sometimes get stuck in the trees?

3. In the section of "El Gaucho Martín Fierro" that Liz quotes in "Goodbye Colonel," whom do the Indians kill?

4. In "But We Don't Have Any Weapons," China Iron talks about growing plants on "wampos" piled with earth. Where are these plants growing?

5. In "Most Were Naked and Beautiful," what does the word "Winka" refer to?

Short Essay Questions

1. Although it is dispersed over several chapters, what is the chronological story of the community's relationship with the Guarani?

2. Describe the final image of her community with which China Iron ends her story.

3. Describe the variety of people living at the Indian encampment.

4. In "Most Were Naked and Beautiful," how do the Indians come to speak perfect Spanish?

5. What is ironic about the Colonel's belief that he did Martín Fierro a favor by stealing his poetry?

6. While the Colonel is telling Martin's story in "That Strange Gaucho Who Fancied Himself as a Writer," why is China Iron both fearful and relieved?

7. Explain the political organization of China Iron's new community.

8. What transformation in Martín does China Iron see when she first visits his tent, and what causes her to feel this way?

9. In "That Strange Gaucho Who Fancied Himself as a Writer," how does the Colonel end up seemingly offending Liz?

10. In "Frothing like Foam," what stokes China Iron's desire for Liz, and why does she not act upon it?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay in which you make a claim about the symbolic significance of Hernández's estancia. Consider not only the characteristics of the estancia and the events that transpire there but also the fact that it is owned by Hernández. Be sure to support your ideas with evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay in which you examine the thematic purpose of the division of the novel into three parts. Consider the focus of each part and the relationship of these parts to the messages the novel conveys about Argentina: its peoples, its history, and its possible future.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay in which you evaluate the utopia in "Part Three: Indian Territory." Divide your essay into two sections. First, provide an analytical section in which you show why this is a "paradise" for China Iron, using textual evidence to back your claims. Second, make and defend a claim about whether this is a more generalizable utopia--that is, would it function as a paradise for most humans? In this second section, you are not being asked to make moral or ethical claims. Instead, base your evaluation in psychological and sociological research on human happiness. Be sure to cite all sources in MLA format.

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