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

2. Miller states that well-behaved children rarely grow into what kind of adults?
(a) Normal.
(b) Well-behaved.
(c) Ill-behaved.
(d) Exceptional.

3. Who is Miller's brother-in-law in Jerusalem?
(a) Lilik Leys.
(b) Lilik Schatz.
(c) Gordon Lifshitz.
(d) Geoff Schatz.

4. Miller is sometimes surprised by revelations of household tragedies too great to describe, even by who, whose domestic life is a sad joke?
(a) Tolstoy.
(b) Conrad.
(c) Chekhov.
(d) James.

5. Part 2, "Peace and Solitude: a Potpourri," Chapter 9 opens with Miller borrowing the _____ concept of "clearing,"
(a) Catholic.
(b) Dianetics.
(c) Calvinist.
(d) Quaker.

Short Answer Questions

1. What denomination of preacher is Miller's favorite bootblack in Monterey?

2. Miller writes that people need what as much as they ignore it?

3. What is the colony of artists referred to at Big Sur in Part 2, "Peace and Solitude: a Potpourri," Chapter 2?

4. Fledgling writers seek advice from Miller, but writing is a what to him?

5. What family's home is often mistaken for a cafe, so they accommodate by selling sandwiches?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How has the population of children changed in Miller's time at Big Sur? Who are his favorites?

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

4. What is Harvey's affliction and what does Miller advise to him in Part 2, Peace and Solitude: a Potpourri, Chapter 1?

5. Miller writes commentary in Part 1, The Oranges of the Millennium, examining the American Dream. What are his major points?

6. 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?

7. Who is able to thrive in Big Sur and who is not, according to Miller in Part 1, The Oranges of the Millennium?

8. What family lives in the center of Big Sur's community? Where in the text does Miller describe this family and others?

9. What does Miller assert as signs of the "system breaking down" in Part 1, "The Oranges of the Millennium"?

10. What is "The Charma Serial" about?

(see the answer keys)

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