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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. What does Wolfe compare to the Pranksters?

2. Where does Kesey go to do graduate work?

3. Does the Pranksters' way of life strike the author as odd?

4. How do Kesey and his crew travel?

5. What is the Bladder Totem?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens to the Pranksters after people hear more about their big weekend with the Angels?

2. Why does Hartweg have such a hard time understanding what the Pranksters have filmed?

3. What starts to annoy the other Pranksters about Kesey at this point in their story?

4. What do the Pranksters believe about people living the 'straight life?'

5. How do the Pranksters view the Beauty Witch's descent into madness?

6. How are the Pranksters and the Angels similar? How are they different?

7. What happens to Perry Lane when Kesey and his family return following the publication of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest?"

8. Kesey moves his family and the Pranksters out to La Honda, California. Describe the new home.

9. After the Conference, someone describes Kesey as the "Prophet King." What are Kesey and his group being compared to? Is it a valid comparison?

10. Who is the subject of this book and why does Wolfe want to write about him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One of the recurring themes in this story is control. Specifically, Kesey's need to have control of the Pranksters and the situations in which he found himself. Starting with the bus, which was apparently Babb's original idea, how does Kesey continually assert his control over the group? Why do you think he needs this control? What does it say about him?

Essay Topic 2

What was Kesey's aim with the Acid Test? Do you think he articulated what he wanted to do when he meant turning the world onto LSD? Did he achieve anything through it? Or, was it just a reason to get high and party with others on LSD?

Essay Topic 3

Do you think that Tom Wolfe did a good job in telling the story of Kesey and the Merry Pranksters? Did you feel that he captured the essence of these people accurately? Or was he handicapped by his lack of experience with LSD?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 767 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample