Quiz questions
In the Time of the Butterflies
Julia Alvarez
Reading comprehension quiz questions for In the Time of the Butterflies — use them as a reading-check starter, a self-study tool, or a quick assessment. Answers are included below each question.
**Quiz Question — *In the Time of the Butterflies* by Julia Alvarez** Which of the following options best describes the outcome for three of the four Mirabal sisters (Patria, Dedé, Minerva, and María Teresa) at the conclusion of the novel? A) They are forced into exile from the Dominican Republic by Trujillo's government. B) They receive life sentences in prison without a trial. C) They are ambushed and killed on Rafael Trujillo's orders on November 25, 1960. D) They flee to the United States and carry on their resistance from there. **Correct Answer: C** *Explanation: Patria, Minerva, and María Teresa Mirabal were murdered on November 25, 1960, under the orders of dictator Rafael Trujillo, after they visited their husbands in prison. Only Dedé managed to survive. This date is now recognized globally as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.*
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**Quiz Question — *In the Time of the Butterflies* by Julia Alvarez** Which of the following best describes the fate of the Mirabal sisters at the end of the novel? A) All four sisters survive the fall of Trujillo's regime and witness the restoration of democracy in the Dominican Republic. B) Three of the four sisters — Patria, Dedé, and Minerva — are murdered by Trujillo's secret police, while María Teresa survives. C) Three of the four sisters — Patria, Minerva, and María Teresa — are ambushed and killed by agents of Trujillo, while Dedé survives. D) All four sisters are sentenced to life imprisonment but are eventually freed after Trujillo's assassination. **Correct Answer: C** *Explanation:* On November 25, 1960, Patria, Minerva, and María Teresa Mirabal were ambushed and killed by agents of the Trujillo regime on their way home from visiting their imprisoned husbands. Dedé, who did not join them that day, is the only sister who survives and serves as the novel's narrator, keeping the memory of her sisters alive in the present.
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**Quiz Question: *In the Time of the Butterflies* by Julia Alvarez** Which of the following best describes the historical event that forms the central backdrop of *In the Time of the Butterflies*? A) The Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro B) The Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic and the resistance of the Mirabal sisters C) The Haitian Revolution and its aftermath D) The Somoza regime in Nicaragua and the Sandinista uprising **Correct Answer: B** *Explanation: The novel is set during Rafael Trujillo's oppressive dictatorship in the Dominican Republic. It tells the story of the four Mirabal sisters — Patria, Dedé, Minerva, and María Teresa — three of whom became active revolutionaries (known as "Las Mariposas," or "The Butterflies") and were murdered on Trujillo's orders on November 25, 1960.*
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These quiz questions are part of Storgy's free teacher toolkit for In the Time of the Butterflies. For a full study guide with chapter summaries, characters, themes, and key quotes, visit the In the Time of the Butterflies study guide. To browse quiz questions for other works, return to the Quiz Questions hub.