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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. In Part 3, what do Sal and Dean's travel companions to Denver want to do in Sacramento?

2. How does Sal justify Dean's behavior to Old Bull Lee?

3. Where does Sal decide to travel after his second trip to San Francisco?

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

5. What is the best time of day for Old Bull?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Dean do when he, Sal, and Marylou arrive in San Francisco?

2. What happens when Dean returns to see Sal at the hotel?

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

4. What does Camille do to Dean and Sal in the spring of 1949?

5. How does a wealthy woman assist Sal in Denver?

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

7. Whose ranch do Sal, Dean, and the two passengers visit in Colorado?

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

9. Why does Dean want to take the trip with Sal and Stan?

10. What happens to Sal in Mexico City?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Jazz music is an underlying theme in On the Road.

a. Describe the role of jazz in the Beat movement.

b. Describe how jazz influences how On the Road was written.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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