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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. Who owns the bath house in Chapter 21?

2. Who comes to visit the narrator in Chapter 30?

3. At what time do the narrator and his friends arrive at Cody's in Chapter 33?

4. How old is Pat McLear's daughter who accompanies him in Chapter 23?

5. What does the narrator envision his friends as in Chapter 36?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where does Perry take Jack in Chapter 28? What is his experience there?

2. Who visits Jack in Chapter 30? What do they do together?

3. What spiritual or religious imagery is presented in Chapter 36 in relation to Jack's state of mind?

4. What does Jack write of his wishes for Cody to be a writer in Chapter 25?

5. What is the initial meeting of Jack and Billie like in Chapter 26?

6. Where does the group stop on their way to the cabin in Chapter 33? Why?

7. What is Jack awaiting in Chapter 31? What takes place in the conversation between Jack and Billie here?

8. What does Jack reveal through exposition regarding Cody and Evelyn in Chapter 23?

9. Who arrives at the cabin in the beginning of Chapter 23?

10. What is Jack's state in Chapter 36? What is taking place at the cabin?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the literary allusions in the book. What poets, authors, and thinkers does the narrator read, quote from, and discuss? What do these lead the reader to understand?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the value of things in Jack's mind. How did the Beatnik ideals differ from those in mainstream society during this era? What is more important: a sink scourer or a nice suit?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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