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

2. In the forward to the book, to what writer does Kerouac compare his works?
(a) Rimbaud.
(b) Proust.
(c) Poe.
(d) Fitzgerald.

3. The narrator writes in Chapter 10, "With my mind even and upright and abiding nowhere, as ____ would say."
(a) Hing Ho.
(b) Hui Neng.
(c) Kamratra.
(d) Ghorn Bhar.

4. What does Jack fear in the brush as he travels down the road in Chapter 3?
(a) Rattlesnakes.
(b) Bats.
(c) Bears.
(d) Raccoons.

5. What is the name of the narrator's cat?
(a) Tyke.
(b) Toby.
(c) Mick.
(d) Java.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is singing like Chet Baker in Chapter 19?

2. Which author does the narrator say wrote the inanities of the sea because he wasn't going to do it when he's dead?

3. Who does the narrator stay up all night talking gibberish with in Chapter 19?

4. What kind of trees is the narrator surrounded by in Chapter 3?

5. How old is the character of Arthur Ma?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Jack tell himself and thus do in the beginning of Chapter 3? What does the driver tell him?

2. After leaving Cody's house, where does the group decide to go and who do they meet up with?

3. What does Jack recall of George Baso in Chapter 15?

4. What exposition does the narrator relay of Cody's imprisonment in Chapter 13?

5. In what "chores" does the narrator find peace in Chapter 6?

6. How do Buddhist fundamentals relate to Jack's relationship with nature in Chapter 8? How do these change later in the novel?

7. How does Jack describe the nature surrounding him in Chapter 3?

8. How does the protagonist view the cliffs and his surroundings in Chapter 4?

9. In what ways does Jack communicate or interact with the animals at Big Sur in Chapter 8?

10. What quotes of Emerson does Kerouac use in Chapter 7? What do these propel the narrator to do?

(see the answer keys)

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