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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 does Senora Rita do with Magda's boyfriend?

2. Why do Sofia's actions disgrace Magda's parents?

3. How are the women supposed to view being yelled at by the men?

4. Why is Magda unsure of her trip to the United States?

5. Who is speaking at the university?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Senor Ruben's mistress come to see Senora Francisca?

2. How is Montevideo described in Chapter 2?

3. Why does Magda collect the sweat and blood of the people who are tortured in the cell next to hers?

4. Describe Magda's hometown.

5. What is Raquel's conflict in Chapter 14?

6. What is the history between Mamasita and Magda's grandfather?

7. What is scandalous about una casa de cita in Chapter 3?

8. How has Gabriela changed in the years since Magda has visited her house? How has she stayed the same?

9. What is piropos?

10. What does Emilia find strange about Americans?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Mr. and Mrs. Allenberg fear that their daughter will face persecution for her religion as they did in Europe during World War II. Discuss the author's method of introducing the most infamous genocide in history to the story that takes place in Uruguay. Be sure to discuss the following points:

1) The similarities between the Uruguayan government and the regime that persecuted the Jewish people.

2) What the aim of each government is in their actions.

3) The willingness or unwillingness of other citizens to let the persecution continue.

Essay Topic 2

A recurring symbol in this novel is stars. Write an essay explaining the author's use of stars and how it relates to the overall story. Be sure to develop a strong thesis statement and cite specific examples from the the text to support the thesis. Be sure to consider the poinsettia tree, the estrella federal, and even the star on the communist flag. Explore how this relates to the government and to the characters.

Essay Topic 3

In this essay, discuss the fates of Magda and her friends by the end of the novel. What has been the meaning of all the fighting? Does it appear that Magda and Marco have finally won what they are fighting for? The characters to be discussed are:

Magda.

Marco.

Emilia.

Cora.

Ramiro.

Jaime.

Gabriela.

What is the author trying to say by having so many people come to a bad end?

(see the answer keys)

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