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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. Where does Sala talk Paul into going?

2. What do Paul and Yeamon fish for?

3. What city does Paul arrive in in this chapter?

4. Who is Paul supposed to meet at the airport?

5. At what hotel does Paul have a reservation?

Short Essay Questions

1. What problems does Paul have with the old man in Chapter 1?

2. What happens to Sala at the end of Chapter 3?

3. Why does Paul decide to go out drinking the night before he flies to Puerto Rico?

4. What kind of people like to drink at Al's bar?

5. What do Paul, Sala and the girls do on the beach?

6. What does Paul do when he sees the pretty girl standing in the line?

7. Describe the argument between Yeaman and Lotterman.

8. What problems do Paul, Sala and Yeaman run into at the bar?

9. Summarize Chapter 3.

10. Describe the internal problems at the newspaper.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine Thompson's writing style. How would you describe his prose style? What kind of vocabulary does he use? Does he use any specific writing techniques? What meaning does Thompson's style give to the story?

Essay Topic 2

Look at the structure of the novel.

1) How does Thompson use character and dialogue to drive the narrative?

2) Discuss elements of the narrative structure: exposition, conflict, complication, climax, resolution and conclusion. Do all the elements make for a logical and linear story? How does the story's structure express the novel's themes?

3) Aside from the main character, examine the way Thompson uses the other characters in the story. When does he introduce and take them away from the story? What effect does it have on the story?

Essay Topic 3

Lotterman thinks he will lose respect in the community because he is an ex-communist and the locals do not trust communists. What kind of political system did Pueto Rico have in the Sixties? What was Puerto Rico's relationship with communism?

(see the answer keys)

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