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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. We learn that Abbey has a real dislike for

2. Edward attaches a red bandanna to a ridgepole in honor of

3. Viviano's English is about fifty percent

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

5. Edward Abbey filled his canteen in the Needles country

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain why many of the petroglyphs are found in caves too high for us to reach.

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

3. Explain Abbey's vague contempt for human beings that emerges in this chapter.

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

5. Why was Turnbow Cabin built?

6. How does Edward Abbey seem "polemic" in his views about national parks?

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

9. Abbey describes areas where one can find artifacts from Native Americans in the form of arrowheads and spearheads, made from obsidian. There is a law that prohibits removing stones from the national park. Do you think these artifacts can still be found in the "shady alcoves under canyon walls" in the Arches?

10. What concession does Abbey make to man's ingenuity when it comes to life in the desert?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Abbey feels that cowboys and Indians primarily make a living these days by presenting their images to the curious in shows and mimicry of the old West. In a researched essay, determine the size of the population of cowboys in our country today. Were Scobie and Viviano part of a dying breed? How has the cowboy's lifestyle changed since Abbey's time? Do they still raise cattle in this part of the country? If possible, try to contact a cowboy who resides in the Moab area, and interview him or her about his daily routine and how modern technology has affected his work.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay on your close reading of the section of the book where Abbey describes the noonday sun as if it were a drug-induced experience. Try to explain and expand on the description he has given, and consider why he describes it the way he does. Do you feel he was suffering from heat stroke? Do you think being alone might have caught up with him? Do you think he is afraid for his survival in this moment of extreme heat? What is the reality of this section, in your opinion?

Essay Topic 3

Consider the time(s) in history that this book was written. By the time of the last printing of this story, what had happened that had exposed, particularly to Americans, the true nature of the rat race we had created? Would this book have been more important if it had been written during another era? Would it have been given more attention by reviewers and critics if it had been written in this decade? Be sure to read Abbey's Preface to learn about how the book was received.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,144 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample