3. Mackie would rather be rich than work for Scobie. If he were, he would
(a) Live back in Moab
(b) Buy his own cows
(c) Buy Scobie out
(d) Hire someone like himself

4. Abbey is convinced that horses are
(a) Gregarious beings
(b) Meant to be broken
(c) Meant to be subdued
(d) Pack animals

5. Abbey suggests to Waterman that, perhaps, like a German poet, we humans
(a) Do not exist without names
(b) Are unchangeable
(c) Become more concerned with the naming than the things named
(d) Become lost in our thoughts

Short Answer Questions

1. On his trip to capture Moon-Eye, Abbey ate his lunch in the shade of

2. Abbey cancels his plans for

3. To make it easier to maneuver the rubber raft, Abbey

4. Unlike Thoreau, Abbey's intention is to

5. Abbey and Newcomb are in denial about the

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

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

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

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

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

6. 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?

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

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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