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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 does the General learn to read?

2. The General paid a man 200 pesos to do which of the following during his mother's procession?

3. What happens when the General refuses to allow U.S. troops into the nation?

4. How did the General seize power the first time?

5. How does Leticia legally steal from merchants at the market?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Leticia always receive inferior merchandise from the market?

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

3. What happens to Monsignor Demetrius Aldous as he concludes his investigation of the General's mother?

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

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

6. How is Bendicion Alvarado mourned?

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

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

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

10. How does Leticia force the General to marry her?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Throughout the novel, Garcia Marquez introduces subtle commentary on the U.S. presence in Latin America. Identify the moments in which Garcia Marquez introduces his critique and discuss how he integrates it into the text. What is his central message concerning U.S. intervention or interference in Latin American politics? Which characters or events most consistently bolster this critique? Be sure to bolster your argument with details from the novel.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the significance of the animal imagery in the novel. How does Marquez use animals to create an effect? What is this effect? Consider images such as the cow saluting the nation from the balcony in your response. Be sure to bolster your argument with support from the novel.

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This section contains 909 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample