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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is Paz's opinion about Western respect for life?
(a) It is truthful and realistic.
(b) It is either hypocritical or incomplete.
(c) It illustrates man's limitations.
(d) It is not convincing.

2. What is the most valued trait in both the military and political realms?
(a) Courage.
(b) Kindness.
(c) Valor.
(d) Stoicism.

3. What analogy does Paz use to explain Mexico's history?
(a) A man searching for his wife.
(b) A child without a family.
(c) A man searching for his parents.
(d) A child without a future.

4. Paz discusses the result of persecution on the pachuco. What is that result?
(a) It breaks his solitude.
(b) It strengthens his anger.
(c) It makes him stronger.
(d) It makes him distrustful.

5. What happens when the Mexican dissimulates?
(a) He nearly ceases to exist.
(b) He becomes estranged from society.
(c) He merges with the common people.
(d) He preserves his individuality intact.

6. What masculine trait enters into the idea of feminine modesty?
(a) Vanity.
(b) Love.
(c) Strength.
(d) Protection.

7. During the fiesta of Grito, why do the people shout for one hour, in Paz's interpretation?
(a) So the name of Grito cannot be heard.
(b) So they can be silent the rest of the year.
(c) To express great joy.
(d) To express their rage.

8. From what does a fiesta free the Mexican, in Paz's understanding?
(a) The explosive desires he carries in his heart.
(b) The horror of human thought.
(c) The sense of unfulfilled desires.
(d) The drudgery of common living.

9. According to Paz, how does death end when a civilization denies it?
(a) By living fully.
(b) By evading death.
(c) It does not end.
(d) Through the denial of life.

10. In contrast to the North American, what is one of the most noticeable traits about the Mexican character?
(a) His acceptance of horror.
(b) His aversion to horror.
(c) His disinterest in emotional attachments.
(d) His obsession with love.

11. When Paz first arrived in the United States, what surprised him most about the people?
(a) Their confidence and self-assurance.
(b) Their confidence in the future of the nation.
(c) Their honesty and sense of community.
(d) Their lack of openness.

12. Why did Catholicism drastically change the Aztec view of life?
(a) It emphasized man's humanity and personhood.
(b) It saw life linearly rather than cyclically.
(c) It placed a merciful God in charge.
(d) It placed man's salvation outside himself.

13. Why does a Mexican blend into his surroundings and become solely Appearance?
(a) He wants to end his individuality.
(b) He fears appearances.
(c) He loves appearance.
(d) He fears human interaction.

14. What did Paz find in the actions and faces of North Americans?
(a) A fear about the survival of their society.
(b) A faith in their society and confidence in its survival.
(c) A faith in man's intrinsic goodness and its effects on their culture.
(d) An unrealistic optimism about the future.

15. How does solitude assume a purifying, almost purgative, quality for the Mexican?
(a) It wipes away his anger toward others.
(b) It concentrates the Mexican's attention on the Divine rather than on the human.
(c) It serves to mitigate his guilt (a Catholicism concept).
(d) It is proof of future communion with others.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Paz's understanding of genders, how do Mexican women become like men?

2. Why does the worker lack mystery?

3. What is the difference between the Mexican killer and the modern one?

4. What does the pachuco represent in Paz's writing?

5. In Paz's opinion, when is a person most likely to see himself as precious and unique?

(see the answer keys)

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