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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 does Allende do after Paula has been in the hospital for 100 days?

2. About whom does Allende have a frightening dream?

3. How many years are Paula and Ernesto married when Paula gets sick?

4. How many years was Ernesto's father in exile in South America?

5. Why does Allende decide to write down her history and stories?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was life like for the newly-married Allende and her first husband, Michael?

2. What are some of the positive and negative effects of Salvador Allende's election to president of Chile?

3. How does Allende's distress about Paula exhibit in dreams?

4. What does Allende reveal about her love for nature and how she first came to realize it?

5. What information does Allende provide to begin her book?

6. What are the details of transporting Paula to San Francisco and what is her medical state during the transfer?

7. What definitive news does Allende receive about Paula's condition?

8. What does the author call this section of the book?

9. What scandal forces Allende to resign her job from a children's television show?

10. What was life like for Allende when she, Michael and the children returned to Chile in the 1960s?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

PAULA, although biographical, is a classic story of coming to terms with loss. What does that classification entail? Why does this book fit into this category? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Allende's independent attitude and controversial choices in relation to the burgeoning Women's Rights movement in the 1960s and 1970s. Cite some examples that indicate that Allende embraced the new attitudes and roles for women. In what ways does Allende fit both the typical and atypical roles of Latin women?

Essay Topic 3

Allende has an obvious respect and affection for Pablo Neruda. Who is Neruda? What was his influence on Allende's writing? What was his influence on the world, especially Latin nations?

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