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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 himself analogous to a Don Quixote of ___________.

2. How far ahead does Japhy get from Ray and Morley?

3. To what city does Ray hitchhike in California, riding with several interesting people along the way?

4. Who starts the fire when the men wake up in the morning?

5. What does Ray find in the mountain's face and climbs into it?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. What are some of the ways Japhy shows he is generous?

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

6. How does Ray feel once they have reached a higher point of elevation as they hike up to Matterhorn?

7. What does Ray seem to believe about the ideas of Buddhism and Christianity?

8. List the four men who sit together at Japhy's small home, drinking wine together and discussing poetry.

9. What does Ray decide to do once the rest of the family is in bed asleep?

10. Describe the character of Ray Smith as he arrives in Los Angeles.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Within the friendship of Ray and Japhys lies gray area in which they are not as friendly as they seem, at times.

Part 1: Describe Ray's feelings towards Japhys throughout the novel. How do they change? What is the eventual feeling Ray has for Japhy?

Part 2: How might one describe the relationship between these two men?

Part 3: Does the relationship between these two men seem to be convincing? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Not surprisingly, one of the main themes in "The Dharma Bums" is the idea of non-conformity. This makes sense, given the time period in which Kerouac wrote.

Part 1: How is the theme of non-conformity expressed in this manuscript?

Part 2: Is there one person who seems to be more non-conformist than the rest? Why did you choose the person you did?

Part 3: If everyone is non-conformist, then can anyone truly be non-conformist? Isn't conforming to non-conformity problematic?

Essay Topic 3

The voice of the narrator is always a concern for a novel. Since the author's own life and opinions often influence the narration, the narrator's voice must be questioned.

Part 1: Who is the narrator of this novel?

Part 2: What does the narrator bring to the story and the telling of the story?

Part 3: How does this particular narrator affect the telling of the story? Is he/she a positive or negative influence on the story telling? Is he/she they trustworthy?

(see the answer keys)

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