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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. How does Lee Ann feel about Sal staying with her?

2. Why does the driver who gives Sal a ride from Harrisburg to New York refuse to give Sal any food?

3. Who is the mutual friend with Sal Paradise and Mississippi Gene?

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

5. Who did Dean, Marylou, and Ed Dunkel leave in Tucson and why?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is "The Ghost?"

2. Why do Sal and his hitchhiker friend, Eddie, part in Iowa?

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

4. Why does Sal want to leave Denver?

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

6. What does Sal confess to Dean while traveling from New Jersey to Virginia?

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

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

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

10. What favor does Remi ask Lee Ann before he moves out of their house?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

a. Are middle-class American values compatible with being Beat or does an individual need to pick one over the other?

b. Do Sal and Dean change their values or way of life depending on their circumstances, or do they hold true to their beliefs? Cite examples from the book.

c. What were some challenges to the Beat way of life that Sal faced and how did he handle them? Cite examples from the book.

Essay Topic 2

Friends play a significant role in Sal Paradise's life.

a. As a result of a rift among his friends, Sal is torn between the more established and secure types, like Chad King, and the more frenzied Dean Moriarty and Carlo Marx. How does being torn between friends represent Sal's inner conflicts between being established or rebellious?

b. How do relationships with friends function in Beat culture?

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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