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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 kind of suitcase does Arthur carry?

2. What kind of transport business does Tom Hunter own?

3. What New England state is William in at the opening of Section 9?

4. What weather does William say causes "Oregon blues"?

5. Where does Stacie say she needs a ride?

Short Essay Questions

1. What causes William to worry that he wants to give up on his trip and head for home when he is in Oregon?

2. What memory does William have of Vern when he thinks about the lack of service at gas stations?

3. Describe William's experience fishing on the Allison E.

4. What importance does maple syrup have to Tom Hunter?

5. How did Duncan McDougal save the Astor fur trading post from destruction by the Indians?

6. Describe what William buys at the city market in Annapolis.

7. What does William think of Grand Forks, North Dakota?

8. Is William impressed with Pete Marvin and his family?

9. Describe William's experience sleeping in a dorm room at Central Michigan University.

10. Does William have second thoughts about picking up the hitchhiker Arthur O. Bakke?

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

Alice Venable Middleton of Smith Island says that she never got her "curiosity cured." Discuss how Alice shows her interest in the world and its changes. Do you agree or disagree that she is the perfect person for William to interview? Provide specific examples to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Black Elk, in The Sacred Pipe, writes that "the blue road is the route of 'one who is distracted, who is ruled by the senses, and who lives for himself rather than for his people.'" Does William think that this passage describes him? How do these words change William's vision of himself and the purpose of his journey?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 768 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample