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

Short Answer Questions

1. Part 2, "Peace and Solitude: a Potpourri," Chapter 14, "A Day at the Baths," sketches ______, a place of solitude when Miller is lucky.

2. In Part 2, "Peace and Solitude: a Potpourri," Chapter 13, Miller contemplates how little ___ debates on ending fighting accomplish.

3. Moricand refuses to teach who French, feeling that American children are undisciplined?

4. Moricand often lectures Miller on how the laws of the universe determine one's fate even more than the what?

5. With whom is Miller constantly fighting in Part 3, "Paradise Lost"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Miller describe Slade's Springs in the text?

2. How does Miller work to solicit money for Conrad Moricand during their friendship?

3. What is Miller's intention to the reader in writing the Epilogue?

4. Who does Miller call for to help take care of Moricand in Part 3, Paradise Lost? What is Moricand's condition at this point?

5. What does Miller comment upon regarding genuine needs in Part 2, Peace and Solitude: a Potpourri, Chapter 13?

6. How does Miller come to invite Moricand to Big Sur in the novel?

7. What does Moricand write of his experience in the wars in Part 3, "Paradise Lost"?

8. How does Miller describe his "addiction" to writing letters in the Epilogue?

9. What does Miller write about astrology in Part 3, "Paradise Lost"?

10. What does Moricand complain about after meeting with Wharton in Part 3, Paradise Lost?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the theme of "childhood" as it is presented in the novel. What symbols reflect this theme? How does Miller believe children should be treated?

Essay Topic 2

Describe Miller's involvement in the War and how World War II affects the characters in the novel. What was Moricand's involvement? How has the war affected America?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Henry Miller's unique narrative in Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch. What new "genre" of literature is Miller noted for originating?

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