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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 author's best friend in high school that he first confided he was gay to?

3. For what periodical did the author's parents write about a journey where they walked across America in the 1970s?

4. What is the title of Chapter 9?

5. What is the author's friend Tank's real name?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is El Tercer Lugar and how is it described?

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

3. How is Weston described?

4. How did the author self-protect as he grew up?

5. Who inspired the author to take his journey? How?

6. How does the author describe the last conversation he had about his sexuality with his mother in Chapter 8?

7. How does the author describe his religious background?

8. How does the author describe his understanding of homosexuality while growing up?

9. Who wrote the quote that opens the Prologue, and what does this quote mean?

10. What did the author's parents do that was similar to his journey?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the plot structure and development in To Shake the Sleeping Self. Where would you denote the narrative's climax? How does the author build up to that climax? What information is related in the falling action and denouement of the plot?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss three examples of symbolism in To Shake the Sleeping Self. What does the object/person/setting represent? What mood is evoked through this example of symbolism? Why is it important?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the dynamic between the author and Weston in To Shake the Sleeping Self. How are these individuals similar? How are they different? What does Weston contribute to the journey?

(see the answer keys)

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