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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Steinbeck plan to do in Chicago?
(a) See his publisher
(b) Eat a great steak dinner
(c) Go to a Cubs game
(d) Meet his wife

2. What commotion has erupted in the city where Steinbeck stops?
(a) The dock workers are on strike.
(b) The local electrician's union is on strike.
(c) Angry crowds denounce the desegregation of a grade school.
(d) The buses are running late today.

3. What does Steinbeck admire most about Texans?
(a) Their land
(b) Their energy
(c) Their money
(d) Their hospitality

4. Why does Steinbeck decide not to visit a friend in Louisiana?
(a) He doesn't think he would be welcomed.
(b) He needs to make up for lost time.
(c) He has to get to a gas station.
(d) It is not a place to be seen with New York license plates.

5. What returns for Mrs. Steinbeck when she talks to a fellow Texan?
(a) Her manners
(b) Her temper
(c) Her Texas accent
(d) Her distrust

6. What is the occupation of Steinbeck's camping neighbor for the night?
(a) A farming implements salesman
(b) A plastics salesman
(c) A Shakesperian performer
(d) An auto executive

7. Why is Steinbeck shocked by Seattle?
(a) It has many homeless people.
(b) It has way too many coffee shops.
(c) It is a very dirty city.
(d) It has grown tremendously.

8. What crime does the U.S. Customs Officer accuse Steinbeck of committing?
(a) The camper's fire extinguisher is out of date.
(b) Charley does not wear a collar.
(c) There are open containers of liquor in the camper.
(d) There is a phone number penciled in on his passport.

9. What does Steinbeck contemplate as he drives through Louisiana?
(a) How he hopes his new book will be a success
(b) What to give his wife for Christmas
(c) The only black family he had known while growing up--the Coopers
(d) How he can't wait to get home

10. To which state would Steinbeck like to move?
(a) Montana
(b) South Dakota
(c) Wyoming
(d) North Dakota

11. What does a friend want Steinbeck to bring back from his trip?
(a) Tumbleweed from the desert
(b) Any honest men
(c) Rocks from the mountains
(d) Beer from all the states he visits

12. According to Steinbeck, what do people living in a bland world crave?
(a) Science fiction books
(b) Sex and violence in their fiction
(c) Travel magazines about foreign countries
(d) Restaurants serving spicy foods

13. What impresses Steinbeck about the Oregon coast?
(a) The fog
(b) The rocks
(c) The orchards
(d) Sequoia trees

14. Where does Steinbeck get lost in heavy traffic?
(a) Minneapolis-St. Paul
(b) Detroit
(c) Chicago
(d) Green Bay

15. In what city in North Dakota does Steinbeck stop?
(a) Fargo
(b) Grand Forks
(c) Bismarck
(d) Minot

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does Steinbeck stay in Texas three extra days?

2. Who does Steinbeck believe was properly impressed with the country they trekked?

3. What threatens Steinbeck's stay at the Maple River?

4. What does Steinbeck notice that have sprung up near urban centers?

5. What historical attraction does Steinbeck visit in Montana?

(see the answer keys)

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