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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. Who is Mississippi Gene harboring from the law?

2. Who does Sal encounter after his date with Rita Bettencourt?

3. Who was born on the road?

4. What does Old Bull Lee think of Dean?

5. What does Sal think about his first visit to Denver?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Dean inform the group about at a party where Carlo is reading his poetry?

2. How does Sal react after he introduces Dean Moriarty to Carlo Marx?

3. Who is "The Ghost?"

4. Why does Sal Paradise travel West?

5. What is Sal's relationship like with Rita Bettencourt?

6. What does the group of friends do while in New York on New Year's Eve?

7. Why does Sal want to leave Denver?

8. Why do Sal and Terry go to Terry's home town of Sabinal?

9. What is the wildest ride of Sal's journey?

10. What does Old Bull Lee warn Sal about in New Orleans?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast the two central characters in On the Road, Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty, on the following:

a. The idea of being on the road.

b. The role of their fathers in their lives.

c. Their attitudes toward women.

Essay Topic 2

In American culture, starting as early as the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the California Gold Rush, California is viewed as the land of hope and promise.

a. Explain how California is viewed by Okies and Mexican immigrants in On the Road.

b. Explain how it is viewed by Sal Paradise.

Essay Topic 3

a. What are Sal and Dean's views on authority and authority figures? How can they live their lives in absence of authority?

b. What are Sal and Dean rebelling against?

c. How do Sal, Dean, and their friends rebel against what they oppose?

Cite specific examples from the book to support your answers.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 534 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample