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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 does the narrator see with joy and then fear in Chapter 36?

2. What is the name of the parochial school the narrator went to as a kid?

3. Who does the narrator say Pat McLear is handsome enough to play in the movies?

4. What does the narrator say that is the only thing he and Cody ever argued about?

5. What kind of pet does McLear show off in Chapter 24?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where does the group stop on their way to the cabin in Chapter 33? Why?

2. Who arrives at the cabin in the beginning of Chapter 23?

3. What is evident of Jack's friends in Chapter 30?

4. Who visits Jack in Chapter 30? What do they do together?

5. What does Cody propose to Jack in Chapter 24 regarding Willamine?

6. What events trigger Jack's agitation in Chapter 21?

7. What is Jack's state of mind in the end of Chapter 22?

8. What does Jack dream of in Chapter 37?

9. What is the initial meeting of Jack and Billie like in Chapter 26?

10. Where does Perry take Jack in Chapter 28? What is his experience there?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the theme of "isolation" in Big Sur. How does this theme contrast that of "fame?" How do these juxtapositions create conflict in the hero?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the character of Cody Pomeray. How is this character viewed by all of the others in the novel? What are his feelings for Jack?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the ethics and philosophies of the Beat Generation as illustrated in the novel Big Sur.

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