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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. What important circumstance did early revolutionary governments not take into account?
(a) Population growth.
(b) Desertion of rural areas.
(c) Expansion of cities.
(d) Natural resources.

2. In Paz's estimation, why do the common people follow their revolutionary leaders?
(a) They identify with the men.
(b) They believe in the revolution, regardless of who leads it.
(c) They are intimidated by the leaders.
(d) They have no desire to upset the progress of the Revolution.

3. When did Spain begin to lose her hold on Mexico?
(a) The middle of the 19th Century.
(b) The end of the 17th Century.
(c) The end of the 16th Century.
(d) The early 19th Century.

4. According to Paz, who is most fascinated by death?
(a) The dying.
(b) The infant.
(c) The youth.
(d) The old.

5. What is the value of Sor Juana's poem, "First Dream"?
(a) A philosophical look at Catholicism.
(b) A comprehensive history of the Indians before Cortez.
(c) A penetrating analysis of the effects of European influence.
(d) A philosophical look at the depth of reality.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to Paz, what philosophical fact defines much of Mexico's history?

2. Why did the Mexican Revolution have to begin before the beginning?

3. What was an important element of all ancient cultures?

4. What event precipitated Spain's complete loss of power?

5. Where have the great revolutions of the 20th Century occurred?

Short Essay Questions

1. How was the Revolution similar to a fiesta? Because of any existing similarity, why do the people cling to that time in history? Can that be considered healthy?

2. Despite Mexico's advancements, where does she still stand on the world spectrum? How can she change her placement?

3. Why was the Aztec nation able to unify so many diverse tribes? How were they quite skilled with that type of action?

4. How does Paz define "Mexicanism"? How does it mesh with the individual whom he had described earlier?

5. Mexico has entered a new phase of thinking and history. How does Paz explain that phase?

6. Paz asserts that every revolution attempts to restore the order that an oppressor has twisted or disregarded altogether. How was that true in Mexico?

7. Throughout his career, what did Jorge Cuesta argue? What are the benefits and downfalls of his argument?

8. Why did the new Constitution mandate that education be secular? How might that have made the Mexicans feel?

9. What does Paz think of the Soviet Union? How does it compare to Mexico?

10. What role did Jose Vasconcelos play in modern education? From Paz's descriptions, what is his opinion of Vasconcelos?

(see the answer keys)

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