View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where does Jack decide to go in the spring of 1957?

2. What time of day does Jack and his mother's journey finally come to an end?

3. What time does Jack and his mother reach their final destination?

4. What is the name of Jack's friend in Africa?

5. What do Jack and his mother enjoy on the bus as they leave New Orleans?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Hubbard survive in Tangiers with no real work?

2. Why does Jack think childbirth is a disservice?

3. How does Jack describe his mother as he gets ready for his trip to California with her?

4. Why does Jack say the thugs on the street leave him alone when he first enters San Francisco with his mother?

5. What happens to Cody shortly after Jack leaves for Florida?

6. What is the highlight of the Duluozes short trip through Mexico?

7. What surprises Jack when he meets a group of English Beat teenagers in London?

8. How does Angie describe California after living there for a few weeks?

9. What does Angie convince her son to give up in his life before heading back to Florida?

10. What happens on Jack's first night in Mexico City at the end of the book?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Pride and vanity are two basic and obvious themes in this book. What is the difference between the two, and where in the book do these themes appear?

Essay Topic 2

What role does symbolism play in the story and where does it appear? How is the plot altered by the presence of these symbols?

Essay Topic 3

Alyce is a minor character whose presence makes a big difference in the plot. How does she accomplish this? What are some ways that her presence, however brief, alters the outcome of the plot? What would have happened differently if Alyce had not been in the book?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 699 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample