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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. What warning does the caravan leader give to Santiago and the others?

2. How many times has Santiago had the dream about the child?

3. What about Santiago does he think will surprise the merchant's daughter when he gets to the village?

4. Who is the main character of this novel?

5. Who does Santiago visit before he goes to see the merchant's daughter?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why doesn't Santiago buy a ticket to the Egyptian pyramids?

2. What does the principle of favorability create according to the old man?

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

4. How does Santiago think in Part 2 he can get the money to buy a ticket to Africa?

5. What does the old man confirm after Santiago has sold his flock?

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

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

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

9. On what does the crystal merchant need to reflect before he decides?

10. At the beginning of the book, how long has it been since Santiago saw the merchant's daughter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Santiago describes his love for Fatima as true love. Write about what you believe to be the characteristics of true love and use examples from the text to support or defy Fatima and Santiago's love as true love.

Essay Topic 3

Describe the various themes in this novel and how they relate to each other. Use supporting details from the text throughout your description.

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