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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In "Sunflower Sutra," Ginsberg writes that a sunflower is trying to become a _______________.
(a) Locomotive.
(b) Computer.
(c) Rainbow.
(d) Butterfly.

2. What business did Neal Cassady's father open in Los Angeles, CA?
(a) Bar.
(b) Candy Store.
(c) Convenience Store.
(d) Barbershop.

3. In the second excerpt from On the Road, where are the two main characters initially?
(a) Wyoming.
(b) Kentucky.
(c) California.
(d) Nebraska.

4. What is the first excerpted selection of Gregory Corso's in the text?
(a) "Bomb."
(b) "The Mad Yak."
(c) "I Am 25."
(d) "Vision at Rotterdam."

5. What jazz musician does Jack Kerouac write about in "Mexico City Blues"?
(a) Charlie Parker.
(b) Satchmo.
(c) Thelonius Monk.
(d) Louis Armstrong.

6. When did Allen Ginsberg begin attending Columbia University?
(a) 1952.
(b) 1947.
(c) 1946.
(d) 1944.

7. In what year did Allen Ginsberg meet Neal Cassady?
(a) 1948.
(b) 1950.
(c) 1942.
(d) 1947.

8. What does Dean trade for a a watch in Mexico in On the Road?
(a) A ring.
(b) Marijuana.
(c) Money.
(d) Crystal.

9. When did Neal Cassady move to New York and meet Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac?
(a) 1950.
(b) 1942.
(c) 1945.
(d) 1947.

10. William Everson credits Rexroth with launching Beat poetry more so than whom?
(a) Allen Ginsberg.
(b) William Carlos Williams.
(c) William S. Burroughs.
(d) Jack Kerouac.

11. In what year was Allen Ginsberg born?
(a) 1922.
(b) 1929.
(c) 1935.
(d) 1926.

12. Who is the author of the poem "Plus Ca Change"?
(a) Michael Ewing.
(b) Philip Whalen.
(c) Gary Snyder.
(d) Michael McClure.

13. Upon which Beat writer was The Dharma Bums based?
(a) Michael McClure.
(b) Gary Snyder
(c) Allen Ginsberg.
(d) Neal Cassady.

14. In what year was William S. Burroughs born?
(a) 1925.
(b) 1919.
(c) 1929.
(d) 1914.

15. What were the charges brought against the poem "Howl"?
(a) Bigotry.
(b) Obscenity.
(c) Plagiarism.
(d) Violence.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where did Neal Cassady grow up?

2. What is the title of the first book Jack Kerouac published?

3. How many children did Neal Cassady's mother have before meeting his father?

4. What is the name of John Clellon Holmes' representation of himself in Go?

5. What was Allen Ginsberg's father's name?

(see the answer keys)

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