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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. Where does Steinbeck head after leaving California?
(a) The Rocky Mountains
(b) The Tetons
(c) The Grand Canyon
(d) The Mojave Desert

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

4. Where does Steinbeck head after spending the night among the sequoias?
(a) To Crescent City
(b) To San Diego
(c) To Monterey
(d) To Portland

5. What does Steinbeck consider the river crossing at Bismarck to be?
(a) The most boring place he has ever been
(b) The most beautiful place he has ever seen
(c) The true demarcation between east and west
(d) The most treacherous experience he has ever had

Short Answer Questions

1. After the border fiasco, Steinbeck admits that he loves countries but hates _____________________.

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

3. What historical attraction does Steinbeck visit in Montana?

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

5. Why does Steinbeck decide not to visit a friend in Louisiana?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Steinbeck learn about truckers when he takes breaks at roadside rest stops?

2. What two national attractions does Steinbeck visit before leaving Montana?

3. What is the purpose of Steinbeck's stop in Texas?

4. How does Steinbeck diffuse a father and son fight when he rents a cabin one night?

5. Why does Steinbeck believe in what author Thomas Wolfe meant when he wrote, "You Can't Go Home Again?"

6. What happens to Steinbeck in Minneapolis/St. Paul?

7. What has Steinbeck noticed about America so far on his trip?

8. How does Steinbeck perceive Seattle?

9. What does Steinbeck encounter in New Orleans that sickens him?

10. What lessons does Steinbeck learn about house trailers in 1960 that could also apply to 2009?

(see the answer keys)

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