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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why does the modern novelist rarely choose the worker as his protagonist?
(a) The worker is too recent and similar to his boss.
(b) The worker is not modern enough.
(c) The worker is not a universal figure.
(d) The worker cannot adequately capture what the novelist wants to convey.

2. What model do Mexicans prefer that the woman follow?
(a) A model of strength, praise, and fortitude.
(b) A general model of decency, secrecy, and long-suffering.
(c) The model of The Virgin Mary - chaste and kind.
(d) The model of ancient Mexican goddesses.

3. Where does Paz state that the Mexican's indifference hides his life force?
(a) Behind a death mask.
(b) In silence.
(c) Within a jumble of emotions.
(d) Behind a veil of rationalism.

4. In Paz's view, why does the Spaniard still use and enjoy blasphemy?
(a) Because he cannot curse creatively.
(b) Because he no longer believes in God.
(c) Because he curses for dramatic effect.
(d) Because he still believes in God.

5. How is the myth of the "long-suffering Mexican woman" created?
(a) When the woman's natural frailty becomes a virtue.
(b) When the woman becomes impassive in the face of suffering.
(c) When the woman is most vulnerable to attack.
(d) When the woman overcomes her natural frailty.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does the philosophy of progress treat death?

2. How does the pachuco present himself to the people around him?

3. According to Paz's argument, what is the source of the North American's irritation with the pachuco?

4. When Aztec victims were sacrificed, why did their deaths lack personal meaning?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. "The pachuco has lost his whole inheritance: Language, religion, customs, and beliefs. He is left with only a body and a soul with which to confront the elements" (Chapter One, pg 15). Is that a true statement?

2. What is the greatest horror that a worker suffers? Do you think that is true?

3. What is the Mexican view of death? When does death become saddest?

4. What is left of the colonial world? Are those remnants the best or the worst parts that could be left behind?

5. According to Alarcon, why does the liar lie to himself? Given what you know of the Mexican mindset, does that make sense?

6. How does North American culture view the pachuco? Does the pachuco accept or reject that culture's perception of him?

7. How is the modern murderer different from a murderer of the past? How has modernity contributed to that difference?

8. What group of people did the author have in mind as he wrote the book? How and why did those people become important to him?

9. In Chapter Three, the following idea is presented: "There is nothing so joyous as a Mexican fiesta, but there is also nothing so sorrowful. Fiesta night is also a night of mourning" (Chapter 3, page 53). What does that mean?

10. In the author's parable, who is Nobody? Is it possible for Nobody to break the progression of his existence? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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