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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. How many couples are at the party at Sean and Christine's house?

2. What did Ray notice about the big Texan with whom he rides?

3. How does Ray keep in touch with the other stations?

4. Where does Ray stay for a little over a month after Japhy departs?

5. What does the slip Ray gives to Japhy say? May you use the _____________ of mercy.

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Ray realize as he settles into his position in the middle of the woods?

2. For how long do Japhy and Ray stay away from the party on their hike?

3. What does Japhy's father do when he arrives at the party for Japhy's going away?

4. Describe Rhoda's fiance as Ray sees him at their first meeting.

5. How does Ray get from El Paso to Los Angeles?

6. What does Ray realize he misses when he goes to Juarez and meets some people for drinking and smoking?

7. What does a local confide to Ray when the two become drunk together?

8. How does Ray help his mother and her illness?

9. What does Ray refuse to do at a wild party at Sean and Christine's house?

10. As Japhy and Ray catch up a bit, what does Ray seem to feel about Japhy's demeanor?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

The spontaneous life of Ray is one that some readers admire and other readers abhor. The ability to move from one place to another, one idea to another is freeing and yet it creates the sensation of never being grounded.

Part 1: What are some examples of Ray's spontaneous way of life?

Part 2: How are Ray's beliefs also spontaneous? In what ways do his beliefs shift?

Part 3: Would you like to live the way Ray does? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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