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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. How old is Kino's tribe?

2. How much does the first pearl buyer offer Kino?

3. What do Kino and Juana walk in in to avoid their footsteps being seen in the dirt?

4. What does the first pearl buyer in Chapter 4 say about the great pearl?

5. Why does Kino take off his white clothes in Chapter 6?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happened before when the pearl buyers got together and tried to have a pearl representative take their goods to the capital?

2. What does Juana do when she senses Kino running after her in the dark when she is going to throw the pearl back into the sea?

3. What is Kino's plan of attack if the trackers do not pass his family on the road?

4. Where does Kino want to go after he leaves Juan Tomas's house in Chapter 5?

5. When Kino says, "I am a man" to Juana, what does that mean to her?

6. Describe the man and trackers as they rest for the night.

7. What happens to Kino's home while he is being attacked by the dark figure in Chapter 5?

8. What do the neighbors fear will happen to Kino after finding the giant pearl?

9. What happens in Kino's dream in Chapter 6 while he is on the run?

10. The place where Kino and his family find water in Chapter 6 is a place of life because it where all animals gather; it is also a place of killing. There is not much water at the spot.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The doctor represents quack medicine and trickery in the novel. How does the villagers' ignorance allow the doctor to get away with his scams? What is the doctor motivated by? How does this motivation affect Kino and his family?

Essay Topic 2

What does the capital represent to the villagers and to Kino?

1.) How does Kino find the trek to the capital—a path where every step is filled with the unknown?

2.) How do the pearl buyers feel about the capital?

3.) Why do few villagers travel to the capital, although they could possibly get a better deal for their pearls?

Essay Topic 3

At one point in the novel, the villagers pretend what they would do if they had the great pearl. All of their hypothetical situations involve charity or helping other people. How does this contrast to Kino and his dreams? Do you think their dreams are truly what they would do if they had the pearl? How do their hypothetical dreams versus Kino's announced goals put a tension between him and his village?

(see the answer keys)

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