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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 has Hugh been living while on assignment?

2. What voices are the consul attempting to run from?

3. Who is Yvonne?

4. What does Hugh drink in the brewery?

5. For what company does Hugh work?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 1, why does a crowd of people suddenly flood out of the theater?

2. How does Hugh react to Yvonne's plans for her and the consul?

3. How does the consul react to Yvonne's arrival?

4. What actually happens to Hugh's music career while he was at sea?

5. What mission did the consul complete successfully during his time in the British navy?

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

7. What does Laruelle observe about the consul's adoptive family?

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

9. Why does Hugh decide to become a reporter?

10. Why is the consul sent away and stationed in his useless job in the small Mexican town where the novel takes place?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze three of the consul's hallucinations and discuss 1) what each shows the reader about the consul's declining health as well as 2) at least one literary device Lowry uses in each hallucinatory episode to convey what is happening, in the consul's mind, to the reader.

Essay Topic 2

Present a well-argued essay discussing why -- or why not -- Lowry's choice to write "Under the Volcano" through various points of view (e.g., the consul's and then Laruelle's) results in a positive experience for the reader. Use direct evidence from the text to support your argument.

Essay Topic 3

Does Yvonne die a happy or unhappy woman? Make sure to use direct evidence from the text to support your argument.

(see the answer keys)

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