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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. What is the weather when William wakes up in Morristown?

2. How old is Porfirio?

3. What meal does William eat at the Retreat House with the monks at the end of "Eastward"?

4. What does William name his truck for his journey across America?

5. What slogan does the bank's advertising billboard have on it in Jonesboro, Tennessee?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do Barbara Pierre and William talk about over lunch?

2. What happens when William sleeps in his van on the campus of East Carolina University?

3. When Ghost Dancing is blocked on a mountain road at 10,000 feet, how does William survive the night?

4. How does William discover information about his Caucasian relatives in North Carolina?

5. Why does William name his van "Ghost Dancing"?

6. What does William tell the reader about the Natchez Trace Parkway?

7. What significance does William's trip take on when he reaches Alabama?

8. Who surprises William in Portal Paradise?

9. How does William feel about having dinner with his cousin in Shreveport?

10. What causes William to travel across America?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the role of food in this travel experience. What is his most memorable eating experience on this trip? Where does he like to stop to eat? What advice does he have about cafes?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the changes William encounters in Newport and Quonset, Rhode Island. Why is he so irritated with these changes? Why does he feel like history is being replaced with things that are unimportant?

Essay Topic 3

What does William think about the desert of the southwest? What does he say about solitude during this part of his trip? How does the hitchhiker Porfirio provide him with company? Provide specific examples to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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