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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 many days had it been since Cheryl left Sierra City when she arrived at the jeep rail on the PCT and encountered people in Chapter 9: “Staying Found”?

2. What town did Frank tell Cheryl to hitch a ride to when he dropped her off at the convenience store in Chapter 6: “A Bull in Both Directions”?

3. On what date was the Pacific Crest Trail officially designated by an act of Congress?

4. What is the title of the poem that Cheryl read to herself over and over on her first night camping on the trail in Chapter 4: “The Pacific Crest Trail, Volume I: California”?

5. The father and son that gave Cheryl a ride from Mojave to the PCT were from a suburb of what city?

Short Essay Questions

1. What information does Cheryl learn during her detour in Chapter 6: “A Bull in Both Directions”?

2. What map does Cheryl describe in the beginning of Chapter 2: “Splitting”?

3. Where does Cheryl's hike of the PCT begin? What thoughts does Cheryl have upon arriving at her starting point in Chapter 2: “Splitting”?

4. How does Cheryl's encounter with Greg influence her mindset on the trail in Chapter 6: “A Bull in Both Directions”?

5. What obstacles are presented for Cheryl as she makes her way along the PCT in Chapter 9: “Staying Found”?

6. What are Cheryl's initial thoughts about facing snow in the High Sierras in Chapter 7: “The Only Girl in the Woods”?

7. Who does Cheryl encounter when she arrives at Kennedy Meadows in Chapter 7: “The Only Girl in the Woods”?

8. How does the author describe her position as a woman on the trail in Chapter 7: “The Only Girl in the Woods”?

9. What is revealed of Cheryl's past in the flashback to the Mayo Clinic in Chapter 1: “The Ten Thousand Things”?

10. What invitation is extended to Cheryl from Doug and Tom in Chapter 8: “Corvidology”? How does Cheryl respond?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What books did Cheryl choose to bring with her for her journey? How does she describe the importance of each of these books? What did Cheryl do to the books as she completed them? Why? How did Cheryl obtain more books and what were they?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of hope in Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail. What are some of the symbols used in the story to establish this theme? What gives Cheryl hope as she continues on her journey throughout the book? How is the theme related in the ending of the narrative?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the genres of memoir and Bildungsroman. How does the term “Bildungsroman” relate to the narrative of Wild? How do literary devices such as theme, plot structure, imagery, metaphor, and symbolism apply to this genre? How do memoirs vary in terms of how they are related and how they are structured?

(see the answer keys)

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