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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. Which of the following is NOT something General Rodrigo de Aguilar has in common with Ambassador Norton?

2. When the General looks at other nations, what pattern does he notice?

3. What was the motto of the national baseball team?

4. How is the presidential limo disguised?

5. According to Aragones, who put the General in power?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the General's relationship with his mother

2. How does Patricio Aragones become the General's double?

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

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

5. Who were the Federalists?

6. How is the lottery system rigged?

7. How do the people react to the General's second death? Why do they react this way?

8. Why are the wild parrots exterminated by the Secret police?

9. What happens at the meeting of the Federalist Generals?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Gabriel Garcia Marquez is renown for his masterful manipulation of magical realism in his fiction. Address the absurd and fantastical elements in the novel. What is the intended effect of these outrageous elements? How does this contribute to the political commentary in the novel? Provide evidence from the novel to support your assertions.

Essay Topic 2

Garcia Marquez has focused his novel entirely on a totalitarian dictator who maintains control over the nation for decades, if not centuries. As such, power is a central theme in the novel. What is Garcia Marquez's commentary on the nature of power, absolute power, and/or political power? How does the interplay of power between the General and various characters factor into this commentary? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 3

The human and the supernatural are juxtaposed in this novel. Discuss the role of religion, fate and omens in the novel. How do these notions factor into the plot of the novel and the overall message of the work? How is religion treated in the novel? How does the General respond to fate and markers of that fate? Provide support from the novel to strengthen your argument.

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This section contains 908 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample