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. Who does Leonel ask Forche to write to to help vouch for him?

2. What does using the outdoor latrine in the campo remind Forche of?

3. What happened to the olive-oil bottle Forche's friend Maya sent her?

4. Which song do Forche and Leonel listen to in the car when he comes to pick her up after her first few nights in El Salvador?

5. Which of the following skills did Leonel possess?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Leonel say to Forche when she first arrives in El Salvador on her first trip that makes her think her travel there was a mistake?

2. What did Forche's experiences living in New Mexico when she was 23 teach her?

3. What does Forche want to do when she and Leonel come upon two dead men in the street for the first time? (108).

4. Why does Leonel take Forche to a wide range of places, including elegant colonias and the shacks of poor campesinos?

5. What is the loose connection between Forche and Leonel?

6. What is Forche's reaction when Leonel asks her if she is a Catholic?

7. How does Forche feel that Leonel misunderstands her work as a poet?

8. What does Leonel tell Forche about the way poets are perceived in El Salvador?

9. What does Forche think would have happened if she had not answered her door to Leonel in California on the first day he visited her?

10. What does Leonel do immediately when he arrives at Forche's house and continue doing for several days?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay analyzing how the stage of life and career Forche was in when Leonel first appeared on her doorstep in California contributed to her willingness and ability to travel to El Salvador for extended stays and to begin to bear witness to the turmoil and violence that wracked the country throughout the late 1970s, 80s, and 90s.

Essay Topic 2

What does Forche learn about both Leonel and agricultural life in El Salvador when he takes her to visit his coffee farm? (100). What does Forche think about the innovations and tactics Leonel and his workers created to help make their work more efficient? Write an essay explaining your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Why does Leonel tell Forche that she may have a hard time convincing other Americans that what she has seen in El Salvador, and specifically, how brutal and violent the atmosphere is? Are Leonel's warnings to Forche borne out in her actual experiences? Write an essay explaining your answer.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 883 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample