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. What is the name of the family that hired Harriet?

2. What animal do some of the soldiers compare the old gringo to?

3. What does the old gringo think is the path that all young men must take?

4. How old was Harriet when her father left for the war?

5. Why does the old gringo think that Harriet was hired?

Short Essay Questions

1. What reaction does La Luna have to hearing of Arroyo's infidelity?

2. What thoughts do Harriet and the old gringo have when they think they hear gunshots during the fiesta?

3. What information is contained in the old papers General Arroyo stores in his train car?

4. What proclamation does Inocencio Mansalvo make at the border of Mexico and America?

5. How does the old gringo find out General Arroyo's secret?

6. Where does Colonel Frutos García find the old gringo?

7. What happens when the old gringo fights back against the enemy soldiers that attack him and General Arroyo as they are heading to Zacatecas?

8. How did it come to be that Harriet was left without a dowry?

9. Why does La Garduña frantically wake Harriet from her siesta?

10. What memories does Harriet have when she is forced to dance with Arroyo in the ballroom?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the novel, Harriet has two men that she views as a father figure. Compare and contrast the role that each of these men played in Harriet's life, and explain why she has the conflicted emotions that she does about who she should consider her "father".

Essay Topic 2

Harriet's mother is a depressed and depressing old woman in the beginning of the novel. Describe Harriet's mother and explain how she helped push Harriet away from America to the wilds of Mexico. Then, explain whether or not Harriet escaped her mother's fate and cite examples from the text to strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

The old gringo has many names in the course of the novel: the old gringo, the American, and Ambrose Bierce. Explain how the old gringo gained each of these three names, and explain what each of the names means to him as a character.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 854 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample