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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 date does John Grady tell Mac he wants to get married?

2. What do the men use along with their horse to free the puppies from being trapped in the book?

3. What does the person that helps Magdalena when she has a seizure with a customer in Chapter 3 use to prevent her from biting her tongue?

4. What do the cowboys conclude has been killing on their ranch and must be stopped in Chapter 3?

5. Which year does the book fast-forward to in the Epilogue?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. How is Eduardo killed?

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

5. How does John Grady discover that Magdalena has died?

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

7. What is the nature of the blind man's response to John Grady when he asks him to pray for him?

8. How is Billy described when he is first seen in 2002?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the portrayal of having conversations in the book. What important role does John Grady's conversations with others, especially Mr. Johnson, have in our ability to better define the nature of his character and what motivates him?

Essay Topic 2

Death is one of the central themes discussed in the book. Part 1.) How does the author address the experience of one's spouse dying through characters like Mac and John Grady, and what purpose might he have for doing this? Part 2.) Why does John Grady willingly fight Eduardo to the death after Magdalena's murder, is this somehow an ironic response? Part 3.) What impact does death appear to have for Billy by the end of the book?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the concept of sacrifice that is presented in the book. Why does John Grady decide to sacrifice everything he has in order to have Magdalena, and what can we learn about the nature of his character based on his acts of sacrifice?

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