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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. In "Do Come In, My Dear," by what name is China Iron introduced?

2. At the end of "A Bunch of Short Dark Hapsburgs," whom does Liz ask to see?

3. In "A Dust Cloud Can Linger," what do the travelers see being constructed outside the fort?

4. To what indigenous group did Rosario's mother belong?

5. In "It Was the Brightness of the Light," how does China Iron end up getting married?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "An Orphan's Fate," how does Rosario come to live as a gaucho on an estancia?

2. In "The Wagon," what practical and personal reasons does China Iron believe Liz has for taking her along on her journey?

3. In "Tangled Legs," what does the recitation of the poem imply about the Colonel's identity, and how is this implication confirmed?

4. In "Suspended in the Air," what is the rhetorical purpose of the extended discussion of vizcachas?

5. In "La China Isn't a Name," what changes for China Iron the first time she sees herself in a mirror?

6. What metaphor does China Iron use to describe the Colonel's vomit in In "Colors Become Detached from Their Objects," and what is its significance?

7. In "A Bunch of Short Dark Hapsburgs," what ideas about the gauchos does the Colonel express?

8. How is China Iron finally freed from her husband and family?

9. In "Tangled Legs," why does China Iron feel isolated and wounded on their first morning at the estancia?

10. When Liz kisses China Iron, in "Lost in Thought, into the Muck I Sank," how does China Iron respond?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay in which you make a claim about the symbolic significance of Hernández's estancia. Consider not only the characteristics of the estancia and the events that transpire there but also the fact that it is owned by Hernández. Be sure to support your ideas with evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay in which you make a claim regarding the significance of China Iron's fair skin. You are not focusing here on the provenance of her skin color within the world of the novel but rather making a claim for its meaning. Support your claim with textual evidence.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay in which you make a claim about the thematic purpose of including the dog Estreya in the novel. Be sure to support your claims with textual evidence.

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