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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How many children did Neal Cassady's mother have before meeting his father?
(a) Eight.
(b) Four.
(c) Two.
(d) Six.

2. What is the name of the girl Kerouac describes meeting in "The Subterraneans"?
(a) Mardou.
(b) Catalina.
(c) Stephanie.
(d) Marie.

3. In what year was the novel Go published?
(a) 1952.
(b) 1948.
(c) 1951.
(d) 1955.

4. What business did Neal Cassady's father open in Los Angeles, CA?
(a) Convenience Store.
(b) Candy Store.
(c) Barbershop.
(d) Bar.

5. What event is one of the central focuses of "America"?
(a) World War III.
(b) The Cold War.
(c) The Spanish War.
(d) The Civil War.

Short Answer Questions

1. What university did William S. Burroughs attend?

2. Whose death is "Thou Shalt Not Kill" written in mourning of?

3. Who is the author of the poem "Plus Ca Change"?

4. Where was Michael McClure born?

5. What is Jack Kerouac's fictionalized name in the novel Go?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do Cassady's letters to Kerouac reveal about him?

2. Who is Lawrence Ferlinghetti? What is his role in the Beat movement? What is his poem "Dog" about?

3. Describe John Clellon Holmes' writing style. How does it compare with Kerouac's?

4. What political references are made in the poem "America"?

5. What repetition is used in the "Peyote Poem"? Why?

6. Describe the subject of "Visions of Cody."

7. What does Ann Charters write of the origination of the Beats in the Introduction?

8. What are Herbert Huncke's contributions in the anthology? On what subjects does he focus?

9. Describe Kerouac's depiction of the jazz band in the excerpt from "On the Road." To whom are they compared ?

10. Who is Neal Cassady? How is he introduced in the text?

(see the answer keys)

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