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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 Kesey discover at Stanford that changes the course of his life?

2. Do Kesey and the crew talk much about the experience on the bus?

3. Describe some of the young women who join the Pranksters on the bus.

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

5. What style of writing does Wolfe describe he's using in telling this story?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Kesey's second novel, Sometimes a Great Nation, received? How does Kesey react to the reviews?

2. Do you think Sandy would have stayed with the Pranksters if he hadn't had a bad trip?

3. What was the original plan for the road trip to the east coast?

4. By the end of the Unitarian conference, the younger Unitarians are so taken with the Pranksters, what do they do?

5. Why do the Leary followers dislike the Pranksters?

6. What distracts Wolfe when he is trying to listen to Hassler explain what the Pranksters mean when they talk about the games the straight world is caught up in?

7. Have the Pranksters broken away from mainstream society?

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

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

10. Why do outsiders want to get in with the Pranksters?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why does Kesey oppose anti-war rallies? Explain how he demonstrates this point of view when he appears at a rally at Berkeley.

Essay Topic 2

Ultimately, what was it about LSD that captivated so many people, especially during the 1960s? Do you think that people really emerged more enlightened after trying the drug?

Essay Topic 3

Do any of the Pranksters really know what to make of Kesey? Why do they find it so easy to follow him? Do they understand what they're doing? Or is it all fun and games for them?

(see the answer keys)

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