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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 did the General seize power the first time?

2. How long has the General been in power?

3. How had the General's government marked those suspected of nonconformity?

4. What is the first ceremony performed after Emanuel's birth?

5. What does the General stop to contemplate 23 times?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Leticia Nazareno's relationship with the General begin?

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

3. What does Bendicion Alvarado try to tell the General as she is dying?

4. How does Monsignor Demetrius Aldous investigate Bendicion Alvarado for sainthood?

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

6. Describe the first assassination attempt against the General's wife and son.

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

8. What are the contents of the sack which appears to be full of coconuts?

9. How does the General decide to restore the Church to the nation?

10. After the Papal Nuncio decides that the event was not a miracle, what happens to him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the role of education in the novel. Is it significant that the General, despite his absolute power, is illiterate for much of his term? Is it at all significant that the General's wife is the person who teaches him to read? Why or why not? How does literacy and education surface in other ways in the novel? What might Garcia Marquez be saying about the nature or necessity of education? Be sure to support your argument with specific evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 2

How does Garcia Marquez handle violence in this novel? Why do so many characters meet such violent--often undeserved--ends? Think, for instance, of the two thousand children under the age of seven. Is this violence gratuitous, or does it contribute to a greater political statement? Support your answers using evidence from the novel.

Essay Topic 3

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.

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