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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. Who is the character Japhy Ryder is based on in "The Dharma Bums"?

2. "Kaddish" is a poem about the life and death of whom?

3. Where is the city of Rotterdam, cited in Corso's "Vision of Rotterdam"?

4. William S. Burroughs' family made a fortune from producing ____________.

5. Who opened the City Lights Bookstore?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is John Clellon Holmes, and what is his impact on the Beat Generation?

2. What are some examples of religious allusion in "Howl"? What do they represent?

3. Describe William S. Burroughs' style in "Naked Lunch."

4. What is Ginsberg's subject in "A Supermarket in America"?

5. What repetition is used in the "Peyote Poem"? Why?

6. What does Ann Charters write about Carl Solomon in his biographical information? What is his work about?

7. Describe Huncke's depictions of sexuality in his work.

8. Describe William S. Burroughs' excerpt from "Junky." What is significant about this subject?

9. What do Cassady's letters to Kerouac reveal about him?

10. Describe the subject of "Visions of Cody."

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the New York School of Poetry? When did it originate? Who were the key members? How does it relate to the Beat Generation?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the novel On the Road and its importance to the Beat Generation's philosophies and ideologies. What are the fictionalized names about and "who is who"?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the importance of the novel Go and John Clellon Holmes' impact on the Beat Generation. What was the response of the Beats upon Go's publication?

(see the answer keys)

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