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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 does Thompson do to keep the hitchhiker from getting suspicious as to the men’s condition in Part 1?

2. Why was a pharmacy owner arrested, according to a newspaper Thompson reads while waiting for his car in Chapter 1, Chapter 9?

3. Why was Thompson almost arrested in Part 1?

4. What does Thompson say they must get before they can leave for Las Vegas?

5. Under what name is Thompson going in the hotel in Part 1, Chapter 10?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where is Thompson’s lawyer when Thompson decides to leave Las Vegas in Part I, Chapter 9, and what does the lawyer leave with Thompson?

2. What worries Thompson about his and his attorney’s behavior in front of the hitchhiker, and what does Thompson decide to do about it?

3. What was the result of Thompson’s encounter with the person in his story about the effects of long-term drug use?

4. How does Thompson get started on his journey to Las Vegas?

5. What does Thompson describe about his run in with a Highway Patrol Officer?

6. What happens when Thompson and the lawyer attempt to check into the first hotel they stay at in Las Vegas?

7. Where does Thompson and his lawyer go for a show after leaving the Mint 400, and what happens there? What do they do after that?

8. How does the man in the Harley-Davidson shirt get to the Mint 400 race?

9. Where does Thompson stop in Baker, California, and how is he feeling while he is there?

10. Why is Thompson feeling so overwhelmed at the thought of leaving Las Vegas in Part I, Chapter 11?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There are numerous references that Thompson makes to the American Dream. Two are: Thompson begins a fairly lucid explanation for their trip through the desert. He and his attorney, Thompson says, are in search of the American Dream. Thompson and his attorney sit in the bar of the Circus-Circus, the attorney begins to complain of a drug-induced paranoia that is slowly taking hold of him. Thompson attempts to combat this by telling his companion that they are sitting in the "vortex of the American dream."

Define the American Dream according to Thompson. What does it encompass? Why is he looking for it? Is it real? Do you think he finds it by the end of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas? Use at least three examples of places in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas when Thompson mentions the American Dream.

Essay Topic 2

Thompson refers to himself as a "doctor of journalism," taking on a title that suggests authority. Also, without a doubt, within the field of gonzo journalism Thompson is an authority unto himself.

With research, define gonzo journalism and discuss reasons Thompson might consider himself a gonzo journalist. Use examples from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Foreshadowing is used in almost all works of fiction. Discuss the following:

What is foreshadowing? Identify three instances of foreshadowing in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and what they foreshadow? How does foreshadowing contribute to a book's suspense? Are there any incidences that you thought foreshadows a future event, but it does not do so?

(see the answer keys)

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