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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 much of his flock does Santiago give to the old man?

2. Which of the following does Santiago not have left after his interaction with the boy in Part 2?

3. What comforts Santiago after he is taken advantage of in Part 2?

4. What does Santiago do immediately after leaving the individual who performed a service for him in Part 1?

5. What does the old man give to Santiago in Part 2?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Santiago reflect upon in Part 1 regarding to the sheep?

2. What advice does Santiago's father share with him after Santiago describes his dream to travel and see the world?

3. What does the boy about his own age offer to help Santiago with?

4. What does Santiago decide in Part 2 is holding him back from reaching his destiny?

5. Why is Santiago disappointed in the gypsy's reading?

6. What does the old man advise Santiago to follow?

7. What does Santiago see in his father's eyes?

8. How does Santiago earn money from the crystal merchant?

9. Why did Santiago's parents send him to study at the seminary?

10. In regard to traveling, what is Santiago's father sure?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe what destiny means to you. Include ideas about whether or not you believe it is predetermined or can change and why you feel that way.

Essay Topic 2

The Alchemist has told Santiago throughout the book that everything is learned by action. Explain in detail what this means, using supporting details from the text. Then describe a time in your life when you learned by action and how it is similar to Santiago.

Essay Topic 3

Choose one aspect of symbolism from the text and explain it in detail. Include details such as: what is the symbol, what is it a symbol for, why is the symbolism important to the story, etc... Include specific examples from the text to support your discussion.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 606 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample