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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. On what day does the narrator say he began to get bored in Chapter 7?

2. What drinks the narrator's canned milk in Chapter 8?

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

4. What does the narrator write that every woodsman needs in Chapter 9?

5. Where does the narrator say is "home" 3,000 miles away in Chapter 1?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What in Chapter 3 is an example of foreshadowing?

3. Who arrives in Chapter 5? How does Jack's perspective change after this visit?

4. In what ways does the narrator reflect upon the history of Big Sur in Chapter 7?

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

6. What leads to the group going to the cabin in Chapter 17? Who goes?

7. What spurs Jack to believe he is not wanted at the cabin in Chapter 9?

8. What is the purpose of Jack's and Arthur Ma's conversation in Chapter 19?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the settings which are established in Big Sur. What are the major contrasts between the city and the country in this novel and what effect do those contrasts have on Jack?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of "isolation" in Big Sur. How does this theme contrast that of "fame?" How do these juxtapositions create conflict in the hero?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the character of Cody Pomeray. How is this character viewed by all of the others in the novel? What are his feelings for Jack?

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