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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 is the name of the woman's daughter that she describes as being "retarded" in Chapter 3?

2. Who was the boy that teased the author at his new school in seventh grade for having a voice that was too high?

3. What is described as the main thoroughfare of Baja in Chapter 5?

4. Where had Andrew been a schoolteacher before he biked across the country?

5. Where does the author describe meeting up with Weston's mom in Chapter 4?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the author write about travel in his opening Prologue?

2. What does "xenophobia" mean and how is it illustrated in the book?

3. Who is Miguel and how did the author encounter him?

4. Where did the author work before he began his journey?

5. What language barriers did the author face on his journey?

6. What did the author see and learn in Zitácuaro?

7. How did the author's journey start out? What did he struggle with?

8. Where did Jenkins attend college and what did he study?

9. What was Jed's family like growing up? How would you describe his parents' relationship?

10. How does the author describe his religious background?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the various settings that the author encountered in Mexico. How are they similar? How are they different? What were the author's favorite settings in Mexico? Why?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of religion in To Shake the Sleeping Self. What is the author's religious background? What are his perceptions of religion? How do those perceptions change in the course of the narrative?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the setting where the author began his journey. Why did he choose this setting? How is the setting described? What were his perceptions of this setting as the journey began?

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