Mid-Book Test - Hard
|Name: _____________________________||Period: ___________________________|
This quiz consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. How many days did the old gringo wander about the desert before finding the guerrillas?
2. Who is the current leader of Mexico at the time of the book?
3. Which military character does the old gringo think will test him more than any other character in the novel?
4. How often did the Miranda family come to visit the hacienda during a typical year?
5. After Harriet's confrontation with General Arroyo, what beverage does she drink with the old gringo inside the Pullman car?
Short Essay Questions
1. What happens when the letter from the Miranda family arrives to Harriet's home?
2. How does the old gringo feel about Harriet Winslow's dreams?
3. What happens in the few moments leading up to the old gringo's death?
4. Why is the old gringo worried about his interactions with Harriet when he first meets her?
5. How did it come to be that Harriet was left without a dowry?
6. What vanities does the old gringo have, and how do the other soldiers respond to them?
7. How does Arroyo's father actually die?
8. As an old woman, what is Harriet's life like?
9. What do the Mexican soldiers joke about with the old gringo when he is allowed to dine with them?
10. Who is Mr. Delaney?
The old gringo is commonly compared to a ghost or an apparition in the novel. Give a detailed description of what the old gringo looks like, and explain how his looks are commonly misconstrued as being ghostly. Finally, choose one example from the text that highlights whether this ghostly appearance proves to be a benefit or a hindrance in the old man's life.
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.
The role of newspaper reporters has a lot of power in this novel. Explain the role that the written word had first in the old gringo's life during the Civil War, and compare and contrast this impact to the role newspaper journalists had in Harriet's life upon returning home to Mexico.
This section contains 903 words
(approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page)