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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 surprises Jack about the 80-year-old man who gives him a ride?

2. Why does Gaines have cabs drop him off a block from his house?

3. Where does the strange car ride end for the poets?

4. Why is Raphael so upset at the brunch?

5. What does Jack call his friend Irwin?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Jack feel about his reflection while he is in the woods in Washington?

2. What is so ironic to Jack as he descends the mountain where he has resided all season?

3. Why does Jack need a ride to Mill Valley?

4. Why is Jack not affected by the news stories going on around him when he is in Washington?

5. Why does Mount Hozomeen become Jack's metaphor for The Void?

6. What is so important to Jack about the date of August 22nd?

7. What does Jack say he could do if he were made Sultan?

8. What is Gaines's philosophy about artists and junkies?

9. Why do some people have a hard time understanding Jack when he speaks?

10. What does Jack do every night at 8:00 while he is working in Washington?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Solitude is something that Jack often sought throughout the book. Where did he find it? How did this solitude affect his character and his relationships with the other characters in the book?

Essay Topic 2

Friendship is a strong theme throughout the book. Where are some places that this theme appears, and how do the characters touched by it react? How do certain friendships change over the course of the book, and what causes these changes?

Essay Topic 3

Jack endures many different trials before the end of the book. What are some of these trials and what lessons does Jack learn through these experiences?

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This section contains 813 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample