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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. When Paz first arrived in the United States, what surprised him most about the people?

2. How does the philosophy of progress treat death?

3. In Paz's thought, what does a study of the great myths reveal?

4. When does intimacy sprout among Mexicans?

5. Why does a Mexican blend into his surroundings and become solely Appearance?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do Mexicans view their bodies? How does their view contribute to their wish for privacy?

2. What happens during the fiesta? What is the emotional result?

3. How does Mexico's poverty relate to the fiesta? What French interpretation did it inspire?

4. How important are fiestas in Mexican culture? What relationship exists between the fiesta and the individual?

5. 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?

6. Who is the Virgin of Guadalupe? How is she an important part of Mexican identity?

7. Who represents the conflict that Mexicans have not been able to solve? What effect does that conflict have on their culture?

8. What is Paz's understanding of woman? How does it fit the Mexican mindset?

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

10. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In modern Mexico, what are the contrasting ways of thinking (pg 119-20)? In that context, is Spanish heritage good? How do those two mindsets continue to influence current politics and thought?

Essay Topic 2

Spain accepted all forms of the Renaissance and then closed itself off to further influence. How did that affect the Conquest? How does that continue to affect Mexico's philosophical and religious development?

Essay Topic 3

Examine the organization of the book. How is the material organized? What are the chapter titles? Do the titles prepare you for the material presented?

(see the answer keys)

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