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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. On the beach for the evening, the most rewarding thing seems to be
(a) Being dry
(b) Being off the water
(c) Not being cramped
(d) Food

2. Abbey studies the Colorado's tributaries on
(a) A road map of Utah
(b) A globe
(c) A geological map of the Grand Canyon
(d) A topigraphical map of the US

3. Abbey often mentions tamarisks. A tamarisk is a
(a) A lake in the canyon
(b) A soaring, large-winged bird
(c) Tree with pink plumes
(d) A wild animal related to the wolf

4. The desert winds of May have
(a) Cleaned out the flowers and debris
(b) Brought huge thunderclouds
(c) Dried the river to a stream
(d) Burned the green things to saffron and auburn

5. The German who befriended Abbey was, in Abbey's opinion,
(a) A Zionist
(b) A naieve German
(c) A crazy Bavarian
(d) A typical, common Nazi

Short Answer Questions

1. With Waterman, Abbey experiences his first attempt at

2. Abbey's concerns about preserving wilderness in this chapter are connected with

3. Abbey sees the value of wilderness, in a political sense, as

4. The desert flowers in the month of May have

5. What reigns in the desert on this late-spring day is

Short Essay Questions

1. Try to explain Abbey's rambling about naming things.

2. Abbey gives us two facts in the early part of this chapter that make it clear that this trip was taken in a decade long-past. What is it?

3. Do Abbey and Newcomb enjoy the "rapids" they encounter?

4. Why does Abbey prefer the desert to other environments?

5. The poet to whom Abbey refers in this chapter when he says, "It was all foreseen a half century ago," is Robinson Jeffers, and his poem is entitled "Broken Balance." Why does Abbey not provide the reader with that information, when he has so adamantly laid out his reasoning and feelings for us in the previous paragraphs?

6. Why do you think Abbey wants to own Moon-Eye?

7. How does Abbey feel about leaving the desert and returning to the city?

8. Where is the heart of the desert, according to Abbey?

9. Why was Abbey not interested in living with the Supai Havasu Indians?

10. What influences Abbey's final decision to abandon his quest for Moon-Eye?

(see the answer keys)

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