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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does the narrator envy of Montesanto's?
(a) His wife.
(b) His family.
(c) A rolltop desk.
(d) His bookstore.

2. What drinks the narrator's canned milk in Chapter 8?
(a) A cricket.
(b) A bluejay.
(c) A hummingbird.
(d) A mouse.

3. What drink does the narrator drink at the bar throughout the book?
(a) Double gin and tonics.
(b) Double martinis.
(c) Double manhattans.
(d) Double bourbons and gingerale.

4. Which real-life person is the character Irwin in the book?
(a) Lawrence Ferlinghtetti.
(b) Neal Cassady.
(c) Gregory Corso.
(d) Allen Ginsberg.

5. The narrator talks of a tree in Chapter 6 that looks like whose face?
(a) Zeus'.
(b) God's.
(c) His own.
(d) Rimbaud's.

6. Who does the narrator and his gang go to visit in the hospital in Chapter 14?
(a) Billie.
(b) George Baso.
(c) Dave Wain.
(d) Arthur Ma.

7. What is the getaway driver's name in Chapter 16?
(a) Sam.
(b) Bruce.
(c) Jack.
(d) Dave.

8. Where does the narrator say is "home" 3,000 miles away in Chapter 1?
(a) Queens.
(b) Long Island.
(c) Brooklyn.
(d) New Haven.

9. Who does the narrator say has prevailed over the American male's ideals now in Chapter 10?
(a) The television.
(b) Family.
(c) The P.T.A.
(d) The A.S.P.C.A.

10. What is Kerouac's fictionalized name in Big Sur?
(a) John Kerouac.
(b) Jack Kenwick.
(c) John Duluoz.
(d) Jack Duluoz.

11. At the beginning of the book, what song does the narrator say the church is blowing on the bells in the slums?
(a) "A Hymn to Mary."
(b) "Kathleen."
(c) "Mary."
(d) "O Holy Night."

12. In Chapter 1, who does the narrator say he was hiding with in San Francisco upon his arrival?
(a) Cody Pomeray.
(b) Bums.
(c) Dave Wainwright.
(d) Ben Fagan.

13. Where are the narrator and his friends driving in Chapter 13?
(a) San Fernando Valley.
(b) San Francisco.
(c) Big Sur.
(d) Santa Clara Valley.

14. Who does the narrator fantasize about talking to in Chapter 6?
(a) Women.
(b) Authors.
(c) Waiters.
(d) Friends.

15. On what show did the narrator practice his poetry in Hollywood a year prior in Chapter 6?
(a) The Steve Allen Show.
(b) The David Lahr Show.
(c) The Johnny Carson Show.
(d) The Lawrence Welk Show.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is Cody sitting in front of when the narrator arrives in Chapter 13?

2. How much money does the narrator pay for a cab down the coast in Chapter 3?

3. How old does the narrator say he is in the beginning of the book?

4. What novel does the narrator say he read in the shack with a shrug in Chapter 7?

5. Where does the narrator say that only weeks earlier, he'd fallen flat on his head in Chapter 6?

(see the answer keys)

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