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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. What interrupts Yvonne and the consul's first conversation upon her return to Quauhnahuac?

2. What does the consul continue to point out to Yvonne during their walk home the day she returns?

3. Who shaves the consul while Hugh is over?

4. What is the consul attempting -- albeit badly -- to impress Yvonne with?

5. What large gift does Yvonne bring to the consul upon her return?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

6. Why does Hugh feel that his youth is gone?

7. What can the consul not forget during the town's festival?

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

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

10. Why does Hugh decide to become a reporter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Write a well-reasoned argument stating that, despite his major flaws, the consul is in fact a good man. Make sure to use direct evidence from the text to support your position.

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast the characters of Laruelle and the consul.

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