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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 cadet does the narrator of Part Two, Chapter 3 describe as having been seen in town in a “big red car and he was wearing a fancy yellow shirt”?

2. Who responds to the Colonel that he is to be Officer of the Day tomorrow during the funeral in Part Two, Chapter 2?

3. After his meeting with the colonel, Alberto returns to the guardhouse and is put in the same cell with whom in Part Two, Chapter 6?

4. Alberto sees Teresa with two girls after the last exam in Part Two, Chapter 4. Where does Teresa tell him they are going?

5. The captain tells Lt. Gamboa in Part Two, Chapter 7, “A clean conscience might help you get into heaven, but it won’t help” what?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Lt. Gamboa respond to the Jaguar’s confession in the Epilogue of the novel?

2. What does the Colonel use in order to blackmail the Poet in Part Two, Chapter 6?

3. How does the meeting between the Colonel and the Poet end in Part Two, Chapter 6?

4. Who is the narrator in the opening of Part Two, Chapter 3? What does this character describe?

5. What vow does the Jaguar make in Part Two, Chapter 4? Who witnesses this vow?

6. What action does Lt. Gamboa take in following up on Alberto’s claims in Part Two, Chapter 5?

7. What is Alberto’s theory regarding the death of the Slave in Part Two, Chapter 4?

8. Who is the narrator in the beginning of Part Two, Chapter 2? What does this narrator describe?

9. What does the character of Ricardo Arana represent symbolically in The Time of the Hero?

10. What does the character of the Boa represent symbolically in The Time of the Hero?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the character of Skinny Higueras in the novel. How old is Skinny? How does Alberto feel about him? What role does Skinny assume in Alberto’s life? Why do you think he does this?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and analyze the different social and economic classes seen in the novel. How is social and economic class depicted through the different main characters? How does class play a role at the academy?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the writing style of Mario Vargas Llosa. Where is Vargas Llosa from? When was The Time of the Hero written? What is the literal translation of the novel’s title from Spanish to English? What political and social viewpoints has the author expressed in the novel?

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