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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 happens to Stan shortly after he, Sal, and Dean depart from Denver?

2. In Part 3, who takes the wheel of the vehicle that Dean and Sal are riding in while in Sacramento?

3. What are Sal and Dean's travel companions' reactions when it is Dean's turn to take the wheel of the vehicle?

4. Where does Old Bull take Sal in New Orleans?

5. Where do Sal and Dean decide to travel in 1949?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who does Dean meet at a party in New York?

2. What happens to Sal in Mexico City?

3. Who are the other passengers in the travel bureau car that belongs to a wealthy man in Chicago?

4. What decision did the other passengers override Sal and Dean on in Sacramento?

5. What does Sal do to put a damper on the friendship with Dean and Camille?

6. Sal and Dean have their first argument at a restaurant in Denver. What is the argument about?

7. Where do Sal, Dean, and Stan Shepherd travel in Part 4 of On the Road?

8. What happens to Sal, Dean, and Marylou's car in Texas?

9. Who do Sal and Dean ride with in a travel bureau car from San Francisco to Denver?

10. What is the dream that both Sal and Dean have about driving?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There are conflicting views about Dean Moriarty. One is that he has a zest for life and the other is that he is crazy. What is your opinion on these views?

Support your answer with specific evidence from the book.

Essay Topic 2

The author of On the Road, Jack Kerouac, thought that a connotation of the term, Beat Generation, was "beatific," meaning blessed or blissful. He also thought that the Beat Movement had spiritual or religious principles. Do you think the attitudes and actions of the characters in the book exemplify religious principles? Why or why not?

Cite specific examples from the book to support your answers.

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)

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