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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. Who was Luis Cervantes riding with before Demetrio Macias?

2. What does Luis Cervantes say will be the result of their uprising?

3. What is a curro?

4. What do the rebels take from the soldiers?

5. How many rifles do Demetrio Macias' men have?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Luis Cervantes greeted when he first comes to the rebel camp?

2. How did Luis Cervantes change his allegiance from the Federal army?

3. How were Demetrio Macias and his men able to get the drop on the Federal soldiers in the barracks?

4. What does the shooting of the dog named "Palomo, the dove," symbolize?

5. Why does the villager tell Demetrio Macias that it doesn't matter how many Federal soldiers are in the barracks?

6. Describe the leader of the Federal soldiers.

7. Why does Luis Cervantes begin to suspect that he has made another mistake?

8. How does Luis Cervantes try to persuade Camila to go with Demetrio Macias?

9. Describe the character of Demetrio Macias' wife.

10. The author uses the words "gold" or "golden" several times in his description of the Sierra. What symbolism might there be in calling the calf they are preparing to eat "golden?"

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In what ways do the rebels become increasingly like those they are fighting against? Consider such statements as "No more dandies. We're the dandies now," and "Cacique Demetrio Macias."

Essay Topic 2

What do you think the author's purpose was in writing this story? Does it have relevance to readers almost a century later? If there is a moral to the story, what is it? In your essay, discuss what you believe the author's overarching reason for writing this book would be and whether it is of value today.

Essay Topic 3

Very near the end of the story, a "poet" named Valderrama appears mysteriously and then disappears. In your essay, discuss this literary device. What brings Valderrama into the group of rebels? What causes him to leave? What purpose does he serve for the author?

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