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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 does Sal seek out when he first arrives in San Francisco?

2. Who does Sal introduce to Dean with whom he forms a strong friendship?

3. Why does Sal's aunt think they were picked up in Washington D.C.?

4. Why doesn't Sal show up for the first day of his job in Denver?

5. What job does Dean find after Sal first meets him in New York?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Sal find out when he calls Chad King after he arrives in Denver?

2. Why doesn't the driver offer Sal any food on his trip from Pittsburgh to New York?

3. How does Sal get the money to travel from Denver to San Francisco?

4. Why does Sal stop in Cheyenne instead of continuing to Los Angeles with the two brothers from Minnesota?

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

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

7. Who does Sal meet on the bus from Bakersfield to Los Angeles?

8. Why does Lee Ann throw Remi out of their house?

9. Who do Dean, Marylou, and Ed Dunkel leave in Tucson and why?

10. What happens to Sal, Dean, Marylou, and Ed Dunkel in Washington, D.C.?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Dean Moriarty is a criminal who is at times wild and erratic, and who sometimes abandons wives and friends at his convenience.

a. Why are so many people attracted to him?

b. What qualities does Dean Moriarty have that makes Sal see him as a "holy saint"?

c. Are these qualities central to what it means to be "beat"?

Cite specific examples from the book to support your answers.

Essay Topic 2

Sal has views about different groups who were marginalized in mid-20th century America. What are his views on these groups? Are there any differences among categories of people? If so, why? Cite specific examples from the book.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 630 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample