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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. Beyond the timberline Abbey observes

2. Under Abbey's ramada on a sunny day the temperature of 110 degrees is

3. The Havsupai are by nature

4. The pika is an animal that lives and feeds on

5. The man who has initiated the search is the deceased man's

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Abbey refer to himself as a true patriot?

2. What are a few good words that would describe Abbey's impression of the desert at this time of year, and at noon? Is there any other place, time, state of mind or being, to which this same set of words also applies?

3. Why does Edward Abbey seemingly push the limits of safety by living in isolation and putting himself in dangerous situations?

4. What influences Abbey's final decision to abandon his quest for Moon-Eye?

5. Why was Abbey not interested in living with the Supai Havasu Indians?

6. Abbey does not speak highly of the man-made lakes on the Colorado. Why?

7. What is the difference between Abbey's heat waves and a mirage?

8. Why does Abbey persist in pursuing Moon-Eye when the heat and conditions have become quite uncomfortable for him?

9. The trip down the Colorado for Abbey and Newcomb is blissful and idyllic. What, if any, is the dark side of this story?

10. Abbey gives us two facts in the early part of this chapter that make it clear that this trip was taken in a decade long-past. What is it?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Edward Abbey goes into great detail in his story about Husk and Graham and the search for uranium. Why would he embellish this story so much, given that it was simply a legend in the area and he could not possibly have known such detail? What is the point of drawing the reader along through this story? Is there some hint that he provides that tells us who the real villain is? Do a detailed reading and write about Abbey's literary license in turning this into a detailed tale, and describe what effect he is attempting to create with it. What devices does he use within his story of Husk and Graham for irony?

Essay Topic 2

In the chapter entitled The Heat of Noon, Abbey makes a list of the preparations that would be necessary in order to impose a dictatorship on a country. Do a close reading of his list and in an essay, write a response to each of his entries. Was he exaggerating? Is he a radical? Are any of these conditions currently in place? Note where you agree or disagree with his opinions, and why. Where would Abbey fall in today's society politically?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay on your close reading of the section of the book where Abbey describes the noonday sun as if it were a drug-induced experience. Try to explain and expand on the description he has given, and consider why he describes it the way he does. Do you feel he was suffering from heat stroke? Do you think being alone might have caught up with him? Do you think he is afraid for his survival in this moment of extreme heat? What is the reality of this section, in your opinion?

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