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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. Where did Benedicion Alvarado prefer to live?

2. Who was the last diplomat to produce credentials in the Nation?

3. What does the General flavor his water with?

4. Where does the General sit as the comet passes over?

5. Which item in the palace gives proof to the legend that bullets would pass through the General's body without harming him?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Who is the only man to survive the meeting of the Federalist Generals and how does he survive?

3. How does the General respond to Patricio Aragones's dying diatribe?

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

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

6. Why does the General relocate his mother to a mansion in the suburbs?

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

8. What does the General do with the two thousand children whose continued existence would threaten the General's position as president?

9. How does Patricio Aragones feel toward the President?

10. Who were the Federalists?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout the novel, Garcia Marquez sets up a marked contrast between history and memory. In various instances in the novel, the official versions deviate greatly from the remembered histories. Why, do you think, Garcia Marquez creates so many discrepancies? Discuss Garcia Marquez's commentary on the nature of truth, history and memory. Provide evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 2

Throughout the novel, General Saturno Santos is referred to as "the Indian." How does Garcia Marquez treat the indigenous culture and people of "the nation"? Why is Santos consistently referred to as the Indian? How does this character reflect on the indigenous people of "the nation"? Be sure to consider the colonial history of the nation and its effect on the people.

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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