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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. Which mystery writer provides research on the Essene cult?

2. How many of the artists who come through Big Sur, in Miller's time there, are truly talented, according to Miller?

3. How had Doner supported himself in southern Europe?

4. What is the family's name who keeps watch over the octogenarian from the sulfur baths?

5. Miller states that well-behaved children rarely grow into what kind of adults?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Miller describe the plants and animals in Hieronymus Bosch's The Millennium? How does this relate to Big Sur?

2. What does Miller attest is the principle problem with the people of Big Sur? What comparison does Miller make to classical tragedies?

3. What are some of the eccentricities of "The Anderson Creek Gang," which Miller describes in Part 2, Peace and Solitude: a Potpourri, Chapter 2?

4. What does Miller write in Part 1, "The Oranges of the Millennium", in describing the community of Big Sur?

5. Who does Miller describe meeting in Part 2, Peace and Solitude: a Potpourri, Chapter 5 at the sulfur baths?

6. How does Miller describe the process of inspiration in Part 2, Peace and Solitude: a Potpourri, Chapter 4?

7. Who does Miller describe in Part 2, Peace and Solitude: a Potpourri, Chapter 7? How is this individual similar to Miller?

8. What does Miller write of Dianetics in Part 2, Peace and Solitude: a Potpourri, Chapter 9? What is Dianetics?

9. What is the main question posed in Part 2, Peace and Solitude: a Potpourri, Chapter 10? Where does Miller gain insight in this subject?

10. Who is able to thrive in Big Sur and who is not, according to Miller in Part 1, The Oranges of the Millennium?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Miller's philosophy of art and painting in Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch. When did Miller begin painting and what inspired him?

Essay Topic 2

Describe Miller's involvement in the War and how World War II affects the characters in the novel. What was Moricand's involvement? How has the war affected America?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Miller's relationship with Jean Wharton. How did Wharton and Miller meet? What is a "benefactor"?

(see the answer keys)

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