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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 intervenes on behalf of the villager?

2. What does Margarito think could kill him?

3. Why does Pancracio shoot the sacristan of the church in the village?

4. Where had the two old friends originally become acquainted?

5. Why do the townspeople gather when Demetrio Macias enters Don Monico's house?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Margarito say happens to Luis Cervantes' girlfriends?

2. What is the character of Margarito?

3. What lies do the women in Don Monico's house tell to protect themselves?

4. Why does Valderrama think the men of the Sierra should be treated differently than the townspeople they have killed and robbed?

5. What painful memory crosses Demetrio Macias' mind as Don Monico pleads for mercy for his wife and children?

6. What dream of Venancio's is quashed by Luis Cervantes?

7. Why does the poet Valderrama disappear from Demetrio Macias' group?

8. What persuades Demetrio Macias' men that the deserters they encounter are telling the truth about Villa's defeat?

9. What point of honor did Luis Cervantes lose when chastising Demetrio Macias for looting private homes?

10. Why is the crowd of villagers surprised at Demetrio Macias' behavior at Don Monico's house?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Using the information given in the foreword, write an essay explaining the progress of the revolution. What happened after the defeat of Huerta? Where does this story fit into the time line of the revolution? How much time is covered during this story?

Essay Topic 2

The meanings of different words in translation can greatly affect the connotations delivered. "Los de Abajo," the title of this book, for instance, literally means, "Those from Beneath." Is there a difference between that and "The Underdogs"? If so, what is it? "Huero," translated here as "Towhead," is also used for those who are light-skinned, not just those who are blond. "La Pintada" could be translated as "She Who Wears Makeup." Do different translations make a difference to the reader? Using the internet, look up such words as "curro" and "cacique." Are their translations useful? Easy to understand? Accurate? Why do you think the translator chose to leave those two words in Spanish? In your essay, discuss the importance of the translator in conveying the right understanding of the story.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the translator's use of diction in this story. In attempting to recreate a casual form of Spanish, the translator has written in a dialect that includes many contractions and shortened forms of words. Use examples in your essay as you discuss the following question: Is this successful in making the characters sound like uneducated country people? Why or why not?

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