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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. Who is expelled from West Point and finishes a fine novel that remains unpublished when he moves to Big Sur, CA?
(a) Norman Mini.
(b) Conrad Moricand.
(c) Emil White.
(d) Niels Scharmosky.

2. What lessens the idealism of Big Sur as a place for Miller to write?
(a) Children.
(b) Weather.
(c) Visitors.
(d) Isolation.

3. In what year does Miller arrive in Big Sur?
(a) 1935.
(b) 1941.
(c) 1949.
(d) 1947.

4. Who is the author of The Thirteen Crucified Saviours?
(a) Sir Godfrey Higgins.
(b) Emil White.
(c) Jean Wharton.
(d) James Conrad.

5. The adventures of Chama take place where?
(a) Italy.
(b) Brazil.
(c) New York.
(d) Mexico.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Miller find to be a constant nuisance in the beginning of the narrative?

2. What does Miller do when his wife and children disappear and he has no means of communication?

3. Miller is sometimes surprised by revelations of household tragedies too great to describe, even by who, whose domestic life is a sad joke?

4. What is the title of Part 2, "Peace and Solitude: a Potpourri," Chapter 11?

5. How old is Miller's favorite young painter at Big Sur?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are some of the eccentricities of "The Anderson Creek Gang," which Miller describes in Part 2, Peace and Solitude: a Potpourri, Chapter 2?

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

3. What does Miller write of Dianetics in Part 2, Peace and Solitude: a Potpourri, Chapter 9? What is Dianetics?

4. 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?

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

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

7. Who does Miller describe in Part 2, Peace and Solitude: a Potpourri, Chapter 7? How is this individual similar to Miller?

8. What does Miller write in Part 1, "The Oranges of the Millennium", in describing the community of Big Sur?

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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