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

2. Abbey wishes that the tourists would get out of their vehicles and

3. The heat of the desert makes objects appear

4. Abbey often mentions tamarisks. A tamarisk is a

5. The only sign of human life Abbey and Waterman see in the maze is

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

8. The trip down the Colorado for Abbey and Newcomb is blissful and idyllic. What, if any, is the dark side of this story?

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

10. What are a few good words that would describe Abbey's impression of the desert at this time of year, and at noon? Is there any other place, time, state of mind or being, to which this same set of words also applies?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the chapter entitled The Heat of Noon, Abbey makes a list of the preparations that would be necessary in order to impose a dictatorship on a country. Do a close reading of his list and in an essay, write a response to each of his entries. Was he exaggerating? Is he a radical? Are any of these conditions currently in place? Note where you agree or disagree with his opinions, and why. Where would Abbey fall in today's society politically?

Essay Topic 2

Could you, and would you, volunteer for a job through the summer in the desert, knowing the harsh conditions? Why do you think Edward Abbey deliberately, and more than once, took the Park Ranger job for the summer, which was clearly an extreme challenge? Is he a little crazy, as he notes? What does the experience provide him with, if anything?

Essay Topic 3

Abbey practices civil disobedience when he has the opportunity. Write about these instances and describe them, and what they accomplish. Who are Abbey's heroes and mentors and how does he emulate them? Is he simply an angry man? Describe his motives for these acts.

(see the answer keys)

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