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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. What is William struck by as he drives through Mississippi?

3. With whom does William eat dinner in Shreveport?

4. What does Mr. Watkins call his dog?

5. Where does Barbara Pierre invite William to have lunch with her?

Short Essay Questions

1. What causes William to travel across America?

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

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

4. What is the reaction when William orders a chocolate milkshake near Frenchman, Nevada?

5. Who surprises William in Portal Paradise?

6. Describe the weather conditions as William drives across the Appalachian Mountains.

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

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

9. What are blue highways?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why is Portal Paradise a surprise for William? What does he like and dislike about his stay in this place? What unsettles the peacefulness he originally finds there?

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

What are blue highways? Why did William choose these roads to travel across America? What does he mean when he says that the a man can lose himself on these highways in a metaphorical sense?

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This section contains 737 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample