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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Steinbeck notice that have sprung up near urban centers?
(a) Drug stores
(b) Industrial parks
(c) Trailer parks
(d) Baseball diamonds

2. Where does Steinbeck head after Bismarck?
(a) The Wisconsin Dells
(b) The Bad Lands
(c) The Painted Desert
(d) Mount Rushmore

3. Why does Steinbeck rush to Spokane?
(a) To find a veterinarian for Charley
(b) To do some laundry
(c) To get a good meal
(d) To check into a hotel

4. What is the source of trouble Steinbeck runs into while trying to cross the border into Canada?
(a) He has forgotten his birth certificate.
(b) He needs a passport.
(c) He needs Charley's rabies vaccination documents to return to the U.S.
(d) He cannot take his liquor into Canada.

5. How are Steinbeck's political views perceived by his family?
(a) As an insult to his upbringing
(b) As a nuisance
(c) As an uninformed person
(d) As a radical

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

7. Why is Steinbeck forced to turn back?
(a) It starts to get dark.
(b) Charley gets sick on a trail.
(c) Steinbeck twists his ankle on a trail.
(d) Charley reacts violently to the sight of bears.

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

9. What does Steinbeck see beneath the bluster and brag of the Texans he knows?
(a) Sensitivity
(b) Intelligence
(c) Ignorance
(d) Bad tempers

10. Of what does the Columbia River region remind Steinbeck?
(a) Lewis & Clark's expedition
(b) His childhood along the Pacific coast
(c) Fly fishing with his father
(d) Camping trips with his son

11. What does Steinbeck enjoy in Idaho?
(a) Baked potatoes
(b) Wildflowers
(c) Fly fishing
(d) Snow-capped mountains

12. What does Steinbeck call the previous guest of a hotel room he waits in temporarily?
(a) Johnny on the Spot
(b) The Invisible Man
(c) Marvel the Magician
(d) Lonesome Harry

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

14. Why does Steinbeck stay in Texas three extra days?
(a) Charley needs veterinary care.
(b) Steinbeck is tired of driving.
(c) The camper needs some engine work done.
(d) Steinbeck finds it hard to say goodbye to his wife.

15. What is Steinbeck given when he asks for a reading light?
(a) A coal oil lantern
(b) A flashlight
(c) A floor lamp
(d) A table lamp

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the name of the group giving disturbing speeches?

2. What crime does the U.S. Customs Officer accuse Steinbeck of committing?

3. What beauty does Steinbeck see at sunset?

4. Where is Steinbeck's last stop in California?

5. What does Steinbeck contemplate as he drives through Louisiana?

(see the answer keys)

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