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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. When does the General finally consummate his relationship with Leticia?

2. Where does death finally find the General?

3. What prompts the General to have all of Leticia's food inspected?

4. What does the second bulletin released after the General's death declare?

5. What prompts the General's marriage to Leticia?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

6. Explain the conditions under which Jose Ignacio Saenz de la Barra is allowed to operate the torture chamber.

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

8. Why does the General order the Church and its clergy to be expelled from the nation and how is this accomplished?

9. How are the creditors treated when they arrive at the palace?

10. Explain how the Caribbean Sea becomes U.S. property.

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

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 3

Discuss gender and sexual relations in this novel. How does Garcia Marquez deal with sex, sexuality, and gender dynamics? Consider the multiple rapes, the dynamic between the General and his mother, the dynamic between the General and Manuela, and the dynamic between the General and Leticia. Integrate material from the text to support your assertions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 890 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample