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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 happens to the clergy of the Catholic Church?

2. Who was Delfina Moscote?

3. What color are the General's socks?

4. After both bulletins, how is the General's death finally announced?

5. Which character's death is described as a marker of the end of creation?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the General learn how to read?

2. Why does the General's plan to overthrow the U.S. forces fail?

3. Describe the encounter between the General and the school girl narrator in Chapter 6.

4. Describe the General's final death.

5. Describe the circumstances under which the General meets Leticia Nazareno.

6. Explain the significance of yellow fever to the General's position as president.

7. What does Monsignor Demetrius Aldous discover about Bendicion Alvarado?

8. Who is actually running the government by the end of Chapter 5?

9. After he has finished with the school girl, how does the General deal with her?

10. How is Bendicion Alvarado mourned?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Because the novel spans such a vast period of time, much changes in the course of its plot. As the nation moves forward in history, technology encroaches on the traditional ways of life. Discuss the integration and appearance of technology in the novel. Consider the General's fascination with the gadgets he gives to Manuela Sanchez or the television campaign Jose Ignacio Saenz de la Barra launches against the General. How does technology creep into the novel? What is the overall effect on the work as a whole? Be sure to provide specific evidence to support your argument.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Discuss the role of repetition in the novel. This, unlike many other works of fiction, is a novel loaded with motifs and repeated descriptions of events. How does this affect the overall structure of the work? What does this technique contribute to Garcia's overall message in the work. Use specific evidence from the text to support your claims.

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This section contains 894 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample