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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 tells John Grady that he will not pray for him and Magdalena in Chapter 3?

2. Where is the first bad gash John Grady suffers during the knife fight with Eduardo?

3. Where does a young boy take John Grady after finding him in an alley after murdering Eduardo?

4. What do the cowboys find has been getting killed in Chapter 3?

5. Who does Mac say is about to commandeer his land in the Epilogue?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is John Grady and Eduardo's knife fight described?

2. What happens when Magdalena gets into the car at the cafe with the person she believes was hired by John Grady?

3. How do the cowboys inadvertently break the necks of some wild dogs they track in Chapter 3?

4. How are John Grady and Billy able to save the litter of puppies they find trapped on the mesa?

5. How are John Grady and Billy able to coerce their horses to go to the top of the mesa?

6. Why does the blind man refuse John Grady's request that he be Magdalena's godfather?

7. How is Billy's work with a family at the end of the book described?

8. How is John Grady's renovations on his new house described?

9. How do John Grady and Billy find a litter of puppies that are trapped on the mesa?

10. What does John Grady do at his house just after finding out about Magdalena's death?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the author's portrayal of disease in as an important theme in the book. What might the author be saying about the nature of Magdalena's character given the fact that her disease defined much of her actions and experiences in life? In this respect, what symbolic meaning might disease have in the book regarding Magdalena?

Essay Topic 2

Friendship is an important theme presented in the book, namely through the characters John Grady and Billy. Part 1.) What can we learn about the nature of characters like Billy and John Grady based on the impact friendship plays in their lives throughout the book? Part 2.) What might the author wish to comment on regarding friendship based on his portrayal of the friendships developed among the cowboys? Part 3.) What lessons might we learn regarding friendship based on Billy's experience in the last parts of the book?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the author's portrayal of the concept of restitution in the book. Given John Grady's experiences with restitution, what might the author be saying about fulfilling our urges of restitution towards those that have wronged us?

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