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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 many bars, bolts and locks does the General fasten before urinating on the portable latrine?

2. When does the General renovate the dogfight district?

3. What does the General bring to Manuela Sanchez?

4. How does Narisco Miraval die?

5. Benedicion Alvarado screamed in horror because the walls perpetually oozed which of the following after the banquet?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Saturno Santos come to work for the General and why must he stop?

2. What is the General's "first death"? Describe the circumstances and provide details.

3. What is accomplished at the meeting between the Minister of Health, the Minister of Defense, Manuela Sanchez, and the General?

4. Discuss the significance of the cows in the opening scene.

5. What is the General's "second death"?

6. How does the General prepare for the coming hurricane?

7. How does Manuela Sanchez respond to the appearance of the comet?

8. After the U.S. occupiers leave, why is Bendicion Alvarado unhappy?

9. How does Patricio Aragones feel toward the President?

10. Describe the state of the presidential palace when the book opens.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the novelist's play with time and space. How would you characterize the concept of time in this novel? How does the General transcend the worldly limitations of time and space? What is the significance of Garcia Marquez's play with these concepts in the novel? What is the overall message or effect? Provide specific support for your argument.

Essay Topic 2

In Jose Ignacio Saenz de la Barra, Garcia Marquez provides a significant foil for the General. Discuss the similarities and the contrast between these rivals for the Presidency. Some points of comparison might include each individual's use of violence or terror to control the public, the use of treachery or deceit to gain power, or the relative competence of each individual to perform the task of political leadership. Which is better suited to lead the nation? Provide evidence from the text to support your assertions.

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the novel, Garcia Marquez seamlessly slides between narrative voices ranging from the group of citizens who find the General's body to the General to the school girl the General molests. How would you describe this form of narration? Is it stream of consciousness? Is it free indirect discourse (a technique in which the novelist enters the minds of multiple characters to present different perspectives)? Do their stories line up or are they divergent? Are there contradictions within the narrative? What is the overall effect of these various voices? Support your essay with details from the novel.

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