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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. According to Sal, Dean's soul is wrapped up in ______________________? (fill in the blank)

2. Why is Dean unable to work in San Francisco?

3. Who does Sal meet in Denver on his third trip West?

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

5. How does Dean greet Sal when he arrives at his door step in 1949?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is happening in Dean and Camille's lives when Sal visits them in San Francisco in the spring of 1949?

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

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

4. What does Old Bull think is a sign from Sal's father?

5. What happens when Sal and Dean return the travel bureau car in Chicago?

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

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

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

9. How do Sal, Dean, and Marylou get money so they can make it from Arizona to California?

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

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

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

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 632 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample