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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. Which of the following does Samuel attend?

2. How long does it take for Samuel to get from Austria to England?

3. In what year was the Steiner Pharmacy established?

4. Which of the following does Anita call Vómito de Iguana?

5. Which of the following does Rachel wear to meet with the Chilean consul?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Rudolph’s assistant surprised that he closes his office early?

2. How does Nadine demonstrate her fellowship with her community in London?

3. How does Anita tell her sister to respond when she feels like crying?

4. What difficulties does Samuel face with his first foster-family in England?

5. For what reason does Samuel express preference for violin over piano?

6. How does Leticia’s third husband leave her?

7. Why is Volker’s presence at the Chilean consulate a complicating factor?

8. What motivation does Frank note for his firm’s interest in the Magnolia Project?

9. With what do the people of Leticia’s home village attempt to treat her stomach problems?

10. How does Rudolph attempt to ease the sense of foreboding he feels at the beginning of the novel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Consider the compression and expansion of time in the novel, with some chapters covering decades and others a month or less. What effect does this have on the reader, and how does the effect come across?

Essay Topic 2

Early on, the comment is made that “the crowd’s raw, savage energy was contagious and even exhilarating,” such that a character “had to reject the impulse to transform into a monster, to destroy, burn, and shout till he had no air left in his lungs” (20). What does the comment indicate about mass action? Do the novel and experience confirm the indication? How or how not?

Essay Topic 3

Consider the ending of the novel. Does it satisfy? How or how not?

(see the answer keys)

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