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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. What does Miller find to be a constant nuisance in the beginning of the narrative?
(a) Ex-wives.
(b) Infatuated fans.
(c) Children.
(d) Neighborhood dogs.

2. Which family at Big Sur hails from Mexico and embodies the virtues that Americans most undervalue, according to Miller?
(a) The Lee family.
(b) The Lopez family.
(c) The Diaz family.
(d) The Inez family.

3. Miller asserts that few city dwellers can stand solitude, but communities built on _____ and detachment are inevitable in this destructive world.
(a) Simplification.
(b) Benevolence.
(c) Evolution.
(d) Religion.

4. With whom does Miller go to see reproductions of Turner works?
(a) Mike Anderson.
(b) Janina.
(c) O'Neill.
(d) O'Reagan.

5. Miller writes that British correspondents are the most vapid, with the exception of poet Lawrence Durrell and the elderly but ever enthusiastic ______.
(a) John Cowper Powys.
(b) Sir Walter Scott.
(c) William Keys.
(d) Brant Brandon.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the family's name who keeps watch over the octogenarian from the sulfur baths?

2. Miller writes in Part 1, "The Oranges of the Millennium," that he who comes to Big Sur must come with capable hands, a strong heart, and a sense of humor, and expect no _______.

3. The adventures of Chama take place where?

4. All of the animals and plants in Bosch's paintings share a magic _____.

5. From where does the Basque girl write to Miller for help?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Miller describe corporal punishment in Part 2, Peace and Solitude: a Potpourri, Chapter 10?

2. How had Ephraim Doner ended up in Europe?

3. Miller discusses his thoughts and philosophies on painting in Part 2, Peace and Solitude: a Potpourri, Chapter 4. When did Miller begin painting and how much has he painted at this point in the book?

4. What does Miller write of the Lopez family and their children? Who does he contrast this family with?

5. Miller compares Wharton's need to help others with the United States in Part 2, Peace and Solitude: a Potpourri, Chapter 7. How?

6. What is the main question posed in Part 2, Peace and Solitude: a Potpourri, Chapter 10? Where does Miller gain insight in this subject?

7. Who does Miller describe meeting in Part 2, Peace and Solitude: a Potpourri, Chapter 5 at the sulfur baths?

8. How does Miller describe Ephraim Doner in "Testimonial in Ut-Mineur"?

9. What artists and writers does Miller describe living within the Big Sur community in Part 2, Peace and Solitude: a Potpourri, Chapter 2? How do they support themselves?

10. What does Miller attest is the principle problem with the people of Big Sur? What comparison does Miller make to classical tragedies?

(see the answer keys)

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