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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. To make it easier to maneuver the rubber raft, Abbey
(a) Keeps one hand outside the boat
(b) Leans back against the stern seats
(c) Ties his boat to Newcomb's
(d) Gets hold of a second paddle

2. Abbey's reaction to the man's manner of death is one of
(a) Congratulatory envy
(b) Fear of going the same way
(c) Anger for his carelessness
(d) Revulsion at the sight

3. Abbey decides to climb Tukuhnikivats
(a) In his pickup
(b) By himself
(c) With his horse
(d) With his camping partner

4. After Moon-Eye rushed Abbey and ran fifty feet away, Abbey waited on him for
(a) Through the entire evening
(b) The rest of the afternoon
(c) A full hour
(d) A few minutes longer

5. A large influx of tourists to the park is marked by
(a) Labor Day
(b) The end of spring
(c) Fourth of July
(d) Memorial Day

Short Answer Questions

1. A man is shouting from the shore to Abbey and Newcomb about

2. The beautiful flower Larkspur can be

3. The German who befriended Abbey was, in Abbey's opinion,

4. Abbey's reference to the beavers building another dam is really about

5. Abbey gives us an idea of how he laces his conversations with tourists

Short Essay Questions

1. If Abbey is somewhat indifferent to the death of a fellow human being, why would that be true?

2. Abbey mentions thinking the unthinkable as he drives through the desert past the Arches headquarters. To what is he referring?

3. What does Abbey say, indirectly, about change?

4. 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?

5. Abbey does not speak highly of the man-made lakes on the Colorado. Why?

6. Why do the men make jokes about the dead man?

7. Do you think Edward Abbey is a fanatic? Is his fear of a future dictatorial regime unfounded?

8. Why does Abbey refer to himself as a true patriot?

9. Why does Edward Abbey seemingly push the limits of safety by living in isolation and putting himself in dangerous situations?

10. Do you think Abbey intended to risk his life by spending the entire day trying to entice Moon-Eye to come to him.

(see the answer keys)

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