View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What mountain inspired Melville's Moby Dick.

2. For what is Bryson yearning?

3. What are the weather conditions when most people are victims to hypothermia?

4. What does Katz tell Bryson he has to protect them from bears?

5. What is Bryson afraid is staring at him when he sees two glowing eyes in the darkness?

Short Essay Questions

1. What has Mount Greylock, the highest peak in Massachusetts, inspired?

2. Describe the summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire.

3. How do Bryson and Katz adapt to hiking through Maine's wilderness?

4. Describe Bryson's thoughts on areas through which he thinks the Appalachian Trail should pass.

5. Explain why Mount Washington has such extreme weather conditions.

6. Summarize the behavior of the hikers that Bryson and Katz meet in Gravel Springs Hut.

7. What is the decision that Bryson and Katz make after Katz gets lost in the woods.

8. Describe how Bryson returns to the hotel room in Waynesboro after he walks to Kmart.

9. Summarize the weather conditions in which most people fall victim to hypothermia.

10. Summarize why Bryson is so angry about Katz drinking again.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

1) Describe the changes to the Appalachian Trail from the time it first came into being to the present day.

2) What differences from the original plan have been made?

3) What effect does the National Forest Service have on the trail?

Essay Topic 2

1) Analyze Bill Bryson's reasons for wanting to hike the Appalachian Trail.

2) In what ways did he accomplish what he set out to do?

3) In what ways is the hike a disappointment for him?

Essay Topic 3

1) Interpret the feelings Bryson and Katz have for the trail in the first part of the novel with the emotions and reaction they have later in the novel.

2) What regrets do they have at the end of the novel with regard to their journey?

3) How does their relationship differ from the first part of the novel?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 567 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample