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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 language is Chapter 68 written in?

2. Where does Chapter 143 take place?

3. On what subject does Horatio privately expound at the end of Chapter 17?

4. What is Horacio doing in the dark in Chapter 28 when he discovers that Rocamadour has died?

5. What is Horacio's philosophical goal in Paris?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Maga and Horacio's sex life become eerily unhealthy in Chapter 5?

2. What news do Babs and Ronald bring to Maga's apartment in Chapter 28?

3. What conversation regarding their relationship do Maga and Horacio have in Chapter 20?

4. In Chapter 26, what reason does Ossip offer for Horacio's leaving?

5. How is the reader introduced to Manolo Traveler in Chapter 143?

6. What is Horacio's goal for living in Paris?

7. What event is taking place in this section?

8. What is the Club's Principle problem with the theories of Morelli, as stated in Chapter 141?

9. What awful event does Maga describe in Chapter 15?

10. What is Horacio doing in the Ponts des Arts in Chapter 1?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay on the character of Rocamadour, La Maga's child. Begin by discussing his origins and his life after Maga comes to Europe. To what extent does Maga attempt to rid herself of the burden of raising him? What eventually brings him back to her? After analyzing Rocamadour's progress as a character, discuss his importance to the author. Does he function more as a character or a tool for driving story? How does his death affect everything that follows? Is the child mentioned after Horacio leaves Paris?

Essay Topic 2

Ossip Gregorovius and Horacio Oliveira are at odds with each other for the entirety of the first book of the novel. Write an essay about their rivalry as it relates both to dominance in the Serpent Club and the affections of La Maga. What about Ossip disgusts Horacio and vice versa? How is Ossip able to play toward Horacio's weaknesses as events conspire to deflate Horacio? What indication is there that Ossip actually has an affair with Maga? In summation, discuss what final critique Ossip makes of Horacio after Maga has disappeared.

Essay Topic 3

The characters of HOPSCOTCH can almost universally be described as intellects. They read constantly that they may spend the rest of their hours debating text and theory. Write an essay about Cortazar's attitude toward theory in an essay in three parts:

Part 1) This fixation on theory is perhaps best illustrated with the protagonist, Horacio. Write an essay examining his obsession with texts and proofs. How does this fixation affect his everyday life? What criticism does he receive from his friends as a result?

Part 2) Spend a paragraph discussing the gatherings and discussions of the Serpent Club. What dialectical arguments do they have to pass the time, and why is La Maga so often ostracized from them? What prerequisites exist for inclusion?

Part 3) Book 1 seems to climax at a moment when, as Horacio observes, dialectical argument proves insufficient. What is this moment? How does this moment shatter the wall of theory built by the Club? What happens to the club as a result?

(see the answer keys)

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