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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. Abbey wishes that the tourists would get out of their vehicles and

2. Separating from other human beings feels to Abbey like

3. All creatures in the desert at this time of year

4. The cabin Abbey slept in appears to be

5. On his trip to capture Moon-Eye, Abbey ate his lunch in the shade of

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What does Abbey say, indirectly, about change?

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

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

5. The poet to whom Abbey refers in this chapter when he says, "It was all foreseen a half century ago," is Robinson Jeffers, and his poem is entitled "Broken Balance." Why does Abbey not provide the reader with that information, when he has so adamantly laid out his reasoning and feelings for us in the previous paragraphs?

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

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

8. Why do you think Abbey wants to own Moon-Eye?

9. 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?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

The story of Moon-Eye reveals Abbey's compassion for animals. Write a researched essay about animal abuse in our country, and include detailed information on such groups as PETA and the SPCA, who try to protect animals from humans who neglect or abuse them. In your essay, explain your position regarding the ethical treatment of animals.

Essay Topic 3

There are hundreds of geographical features mentioned in Desert Solitaire. Make a table and list of all of the geographical features, look up their meanings and descriptions, and add images, if possible. Provide copies of your material to the class for reference as they read Desert Solitaire.

(see the answer keys)

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