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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. Riding in a car is different from riding on a motorcycle because

2. The professor meant that the bombing of the Japanese cities

3. John is interested in

4. Einstein said:

5. The group crossed the Missouri River at

Short Essay Questions

1. What are some of the things John likes about Miles City, Montana? What do these indicate about the city? About John?

2. Which question would you prefer to ask your friends: "What's new?" or "What is best?" Which question would you rather have people ask you?

3. Explain the Narrator's train of knowledge. What do the various parts represent? What cannot be represented in a way you can see it in the train analogy?

4. The Narrator seems to be descending into an abyss as he relates the details of Phaedrus' descent into a full mental breakdown. Why do you think he quit attending the class with the Chairman and then quit teaching his own classes?

5. How did Phaedrus stimulate students to think for themselves?

6. Goethe's poem captures what may be at stake for the Narrator and Chris on this trip or at this point in their lives. Use the discussion of Chris, the ideas of Phaedrus up to this point, and what is said about the poem to explain how the poem captures what is going on in the Narrator's mind.

7. What were the possible reasons John did not want the Narrator to use a beer can to shim his motorcycle handlebars?

8. Why did the thought of teaching Quality seem so confusing, yet so appealing, to him?

9. How do we know that the Narrator has been on this road, in this town, or at this motel before?

10. How does the Narrator distinguish between European and Native American ghosts?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The Narrator is in a sarcophagus in one part of the book (chapter 23). Earlier he had been in a large, white room. Both had a glass door with his family on the other side. In both cases, Chris wants him to open the door. Why could neither Chris nor his father open the door? What did the door symbolize? What was truly separating them? In one case, the Narrator tells Chris he will meet him at the top of the mountain, but in chapter 23, he says he will see him at the bottom of the ocean. What is the difference? Is there any progress between the two dreams?

Essay Topic 2

What traits does Chris have that were troublesome traits for Phaedrus?

Essay Topic 3

Various types of evidence can be used as proof of something. Hard evidence of having gone to a concert would be the ticket stub. Memories of what was sung at the concert would be another type of evidence. Intuition that proves true about the best parking spot for the concert is a third type of evidence. Give one example of each of four ways in which the Narrator knows that Phaedrus existed.

(see the answer keys)

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