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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. How much rain does the Atacama Desert get yearly?

2. What trail did the author and his friends take to reach Machu Picchu?

3. Where was Harry's destination when he disappeared?

4. What is the title of Chapter 14?

5. To what movie does the author compare the setting to at the campsite where he went mushroom hunting and camping in Chapter 12?

Short Essay Questions

1. What were the author's perceptions of Weston when he used cocaine?

2. What happened when the indigenous woman showed Weston and the author a remote camping spot in Chapter 15?

3. How is Laura described in the narrative?

4. How did the author culminate his journey?

5. Who is Kelley and what were the author's feelings about her when she visited?

6. Where did the author's mother meet up with him and Weston in Chapter 14? For what occasion?

7. Why did the author's friends join him in Chapter 16? Where did they meet up?

8. Why did Weston say he regretted doing the cocaine in Chapter 12?

9. How is the Darien Gap described?

10. Who was Atahualpa and what happened to him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the author's completion of his journey. Where did his journey end? Why did he choose this ending site? What did he do to celebrate?

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 theme of sexuality in To Shake the Sleeping Self. How does the author identify in terms of sexual preference? What history does he relate regarding his sexuality? How do his perceptions of sexuality change in the course of the narrative?

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