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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. Which appliance makes a noise which Don Juan interprets as agreement?

2. What kind of animal does Don Juan talk about having chased during his life?

3. Who once promised to take Castaneda swimming every day at 6:00 AM, but never did?

4. When a rock crashes down a hill nearby, Don Juan tells Castaneda that it is an _____________

5. Don Juan believes that Castaneda thinks he is _______________ enough to be annoyed at everything.

Short Essay Questions

1. Don Juan says that some people live happily because of one thing - what is this one state of mind?

2. What is Castaneda's response to Don Juan's question about why he was lying when they first met.

3. When Castaneda goes to visit Don Juan in December of 1960, what question does he ask Don Juan upon his arrival?

4. What does Don Juan do when he sees that Castaneda is not standing in a good spot?

5. What does Don Juan say is the reason why Castaneda is not quenched by walking with his fingers curled or of the leaves?

6. What must Castaneda learn in order to know where to place the traps he is going to make?

7. What is Don Juan's response to Castaneda's attempts to try to fill in a genealogy chart for Don Juan?

8. What is so magical about a creature that cannot be tracked by ordinary means?

9. Don Juan says it is not enough to know how to make or to set traps. What does one have to do in order to change?

10. Who is the funny bird that Don Juan wants Castaneda to remember from his youth?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout this story are various omens that are meant to show Castaneda things about himself.

Part 1: Why are omens important in this story?

Part 2: Which omen is most important to Castaneda's learning? Why?

Part 3: Why do you think the crow continues to show up for Castaneda in this book?

Essay Topic 2

Within the search for power, Don Juan tells Castaneda he must also be accessible to power, which seems to go against previous lessons in some ways.

Part 1: Why is it important for a person to be accessible to power, according to Don Juan?

Part 2: How does being accessible to power conflict with the idea of being less accessible? Can you have both in your life? Why or why not?

Part 3: What is the purpose of being accessible to power? What are the benefits to Castaneda?

Essay Topic 3

The encounter with the coyote is one that is shocking and thrilling to the reader and to Castaneda in his retelling, it seems.

Part 1: Why was Castaneda sent out to go alone to the mountains until his body tells him to quit?

Part 2: Why is the coyote an important figure or image for Castaneda to see?

Part 3: Is the coyote real or is it a hallucination? Why?

(see the answer keys)

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