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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. Where did Laruelle first meet the consul?

2. Where does the novel begin?

3. Where do Yvonne and Hugh end their ride together?

4. What are the women doing that the consul draws Yvonne's attention to when she first sees him again?

5. What does the mailman bring to Laruelle's house while Yvonne, Hugh, and the consul are visiting?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Yvonne admit to Hugh about her plans for the consul?

2. Why does Hugh feel cheated out of his experience at sea?

3. What advice does the doctor give the consul at Quincy's house?

4. What does Hugh hope has happened to his music career while he was at sea?

5. How does the consul deal with his adoptive family's behavior?

6. Why does Hugh decide to become a reporter?

7. What plans does Hugh confess to Yvonne during their walk?

8. What two desires torment the consul?

9. What does the consul do when his estranged wife goes to take a bath?

10. What does the consul begin to think about Yvonne after her bath?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Given what you know about Malcolm Lowry, write an argument about how "Under the Volcano" is semi-autobiographical. Make sure to use facts from Lowry's life as well as direct evidence from the text to support your position.

Essay Topic 2

List three ways that the story of the German soldiers' deaths and the consul's role in them impact the reader's view of the consul as a character before he actually arrives in "Under the Volcano."

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast the characters of Laruelle and the consul.

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