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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 Dorotea say Susana does, "even when she is alive"?

2. When Justina is in the marketplace, what is her complaint?

3. Who tells don Pedro that El Tilcuate is killed?

4. What comes to Comala after Susana's death?

5. What does Bartolomé do with don Pedro's letters to Susana?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the night Susana learns of Florencio's death.

2. What does Gerardo's wife tell him before he visits don Pedro?

3. What happens when the revolutionaries come to don Pedro's house?

4. Why does don Pedro want Susana's father to disappear in the mines?

5. Why does Susana think Father Rentería has come to see her?

6. Why do Angeles and Fausta think Susana doesn't need confess her sins?

7. What happens between don Pedro and Damiana when she is a girl?

8. Why is Villalpando in such a bad mood?

9. Why don't the men of Comala come to the marketplace?

10. What does Father Rentería describe to Susana as she lay dying?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The love relationships between the characters in the novel are depicted both positively and negatively. For each of the following relationships, explain whether you think it is a positive or negative depiction of romantic love:

- Donis and his sister

- Susana and Florencio

- Dolores and Pedro

- Susana and Pedro

- Abundio and his wife

What do you think Rulfo is trying to say about romantic love based on his description of these relationships? Do you think he believes in the power of romantic love to provide solace in people's lives? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Juan's descent into Comala is like an ascension into hell. Later the reader learns that Comala's dead remain in the town as a purgatory. Select three of the following characters and explain why their ghosts are stuck in Comala:

- Dorotea

- Eduviges

- Susana

- Juan

- Abundio

Address how each of their stories help the reader learn more about Pedro and his life.

Essay Topic 3

The weather is a major part of how Rulfo develops his narrative. Find at least three examples from the novel where the weather, specifically the rain, heat, and wind, builds up the narrative tension in the story. What emotions do the weather conditions reflect or symbolize? How does the weather mirror what is going on with the plot?

(see the answer keys)

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