View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Whose monument does Alberto stop in front of in the darkness in Part Two, Chapter 3?

2. Who is the instructor of the physical education class that Alberto describes sneaking out of in Part Two, Chapter 1?

3. How much money does the narrator of Part Two, Chapter 2 say his godfather gave him every year for his birthday?

4. How many doctors does the colonel say determined that the bullet that killed the Slave was from his own rifle in Part Two, Chapter 6?

5. Who does the narrator of Part Two, Chapter 3 say is always talking about the Poet and is perhaps envious of him?

Short Essay Questions

1. How has the death of the Slave affected the Poet and the Jaguar in Part Two, Chapter 5?

2. Why does the colonel meet with the officers in Part Two, Chapter 2? What decision is reached?

3. What encounter takes place between Alberto and Teresa in Part Two, Chapter 3?

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

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

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

7. Where do Skinny and Alberto go in order to perform their first robbery together in Part Two, Chapter 3? What are Alberto’s instructions?

8. What are revealed to be the Jaguar’s objectives in Part Two of the novel? Why are his objectives not met?

9. What confession does Alberto make in Part Two, Chapter 3? To whom does he make this confession?

10. How would you describe the Boa’s relationship to the Jaguar in the novel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the character of Paulino and the setting of “La Perlita.” What does this name mean in Spanish? What is Paulino’s relationship to the cadets? How is he perceived by them? How does Paulino serve to further the plot of the story?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss the character of Teresa in the novel. How does Ricardo know Teresa? When did he ask her out on a date? What are Teresa’s expectations of her date with Ricardo? Why does the date not happen?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 866 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample