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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. Ray considers Los Angeles to be __________________.

2. Ray wishes he could have taught the girlfriend in #64 about the illusory nature of _________.

3. What mountain are the men about to hike?

4. Who stops by to visit Ray and Alvah when Alvah is out?

5. What does Alvah later refer to as the activity with Princess, Japhy, Ray and himself ?

Short Essay Questions

1. How well prepared does Ray feel at the end of his shopping excursion with Japhy?

2. Describe the character of Japhy Ryder.

3. What is the realization Ray has when he watches the way Japhy descends the mountain?

4. What do the bums of San Francisco tell Ray there is great money to be made in doing?

5. What does Morley forget that makes him fall behind in the hiking, though Japhy and Ray continue on without him anyway?

6. Why doesn't Ray decide to camp in Mexico when he arrives?

7. Describe the way Japhy decides to descend the mountain.

8. When the waitress asks the men where they will be hiking, what do the men reply?

9. What does Ray notice about Los Angeles as he rides the bus to Riverside?

10. What is the arrangement that Beaudry and Ray work out?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

At times, Ray seems to be almost a student of Japhy's, listening to everything he says and watching everything Japhy does.

Part 1: What does Ray want to learn from Japhy at the beginning of the manuscript?

Part 2: Is Japhy comfortable with the role of being a teacher? Why or why not?

Part 3: What does Japhy have to learn from Ray, as the story progresses?

Essay Topic 2

Settling into one area seems to be something Ray is unable to do, preferring instead to travel from one location to the next as his moods dictate.

Part 1: What does the idea of always moving seem to say about Ray?

Part 2: Do you think Ray is truly a wanderer or someone who is always trying to run away from his life? Why?

Part 3: What does the wandering of Ray seem to say about the idea of being still? What does the author seem to be saying about staying in one place?

Essay Topic 3

The various settings of the story seem to convey different moods for the story. From beginning to end, the environments of the characters inform the characters themselves and vice versa.

Part 1: List three of the settings within the story.

Part 2: What is the mood of each of these settings?

Part 3: How does the mood of the story change from beginning to end? Reference different settings as they relate to these shifts in moods.

(see the answer keys)

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