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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. What was the name of the greatest hotel in the White Mountains?

2. For what is Bryson yearning?

3. What mountain inspired Melville's Moby Dick.

4. Why does Bryson insist that they sleep in shelters from now on?

5. What is it like hiking in the Hundred Miles Wilderness?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe what Bryson finds strange about the town of Centralia.

2. Explain why Katz starts drinking again.

3. Describe the summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire.

4. Describe how Bryson returns to the hotel room in Waynesboro after he walks to Kmart.

5. Describe Kitattiny Mountain and how it was formed.

6. Summarize why Bryson is so angry about Katz drinking again.

7. Summarize the plans Bryson and Katz make now that they have completed the first stage of their hiking journey.

8. Describe Bryson's thoughts on areas through which he thinks the Appalachian Trail should pass.

9. Summarize what Katz does to pass the time while Bryson is at Kmart.

10. Describe Chicken John's claim to fame.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

1) Compare and contrast the characters of Katz and Bryson with the Spring hikers they meet along the trail.

2) Summarize the impact each group has on one another.

3) How is each group realistic in its view of hiking?

4) How do their attitudes toward hiking differ? Cite examples from the novel.

Essay Topic 2

1) Discuss how Bill Bryson grows as a character from the beginning of the book to the end.

2) How do his attitudes change toward life and hiking?

3) How does his attitude about his lifestyle change?

4) What are the differences in his attitude toward civilization from the start of his journey to the end?

Essay Topic 3

1) Describe the differences between Bryson's hike with Katz along the Appalachian Trail and the day hikes he takes through Pennsylvania.

2) Why is Bryson frustrated with his hiking experience in Pennsylvania?

(see the answer keys)

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