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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. Abbey sees as a nuisance the presence in the desert of

2. Viviano does not understand

3. Besides money, a reason for developing the parks is

4. Abbey will be allowed to drive the government truck

5. Quicksand is simply

Short Essay Questions

1. Is Abbey's story of Husk and Graham a fact-checked, absolutely correct retelling?

2. What does Abbey mean by "pox vobiscum," and "swinish politics?"

3. How were the Park Service rules ambiguous as they were written in 1916?

4. What advantages did the government's Atomic Energy Commission have in finding uranium? Are they portrayed as a benificent agency?

5. Discuss how different the daily life of an pre-Columbian Native American was, as compared to the daily life of an American now.

6. Where in this chapter does Abbey foreshadow a story involving quicksand?

7. The author has arrived in Utah, having come from New Mexico. How different is the terrain in this new place from what he is accustomed to?

8. Abbey mentions that both men he meets are married and have children. Can we assume Abbey is neither? Why or why not?

9. Why does Abbey decide not to kill the rattlesnake under his doorstep?

10. For what does the author seem to be searching by taking this job?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Is Edward Abbey depressed? His inability to stop or shift the tides of progress comes through in his writing. Is he hopeful, or has he given up on the human race altogether? Explain your impressions, and provide examples.

Essay Topic 2

As a tourist, one might have found Abbey to be mysterious. Although he had a great sense of humor with the tourists, he is clearly shrouding feelings that they don't know about, opinions that come through in his humorous sarcasm. In the Episodes and Visions chapter, do a close reading of Abbey's conversations and private thoughts, and analyze what you feel he wished he could say to them, instead of what he did say.

Essay Topic 3

Abbey and his friend, Newcomb, enjoy an incredible rafting trip down the Colorado River, separating themselves from humanity in general. Discuss in a detailed essay Abbey's mixed feelings of revulsion and delight about the human race. How does this trip down the river bring things into focus for him? Since he is a human himself, does he simply feel superior to most people, or are his objections more theoretical? Is the trip down the river a statement of some kind - does it hold a deeper meaning?

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