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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. Edward's new home is a simple

2. Vernon Pick managed to sufficiently purify his water by

3. The prickly pear cactus and its blossom exemplifies the

4. Eating inside the trailer makes Abbey remember

5. West of the Mississippi, Abbey says the cult of "cowboyism" is growing as fast as

Short Essay Questions

1. What is an example of the primitive attitudes of Native Americans, as expressed by Abbey?

2. Is it beneficial to the Navajos that their population is increasing?

3. The author has arrived in Utah, having come from New Mexico. How different is the terrain in this new place from what he is accustomed to?

4. How does Abbey get rid of the rattlesnakes?

5. What does Abbey mean by "pox vobiscum," and "swinish politics?"

6. Why was Turnbow Cabin built?

7. What concession does Abbey make to man's ingenuity when it comes to life in the desert?

8. Why does Abbey's watch seem absurd to him?

9. Explain Abbey's vague contempt for human beings that emerges in this chapter.

10. Discuss Abbey's relationship with the natural world as he watches the stars.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Abbey practices civil disobedience when he has the opportunity. Write about these instances and describe them, and what they accomplish. Who are Abbey's heroes and mentors and how does he emulate them? Is he simply an angry man? Describe his motives for these acts.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay on your close reading of the section of the book where Abbey describes the noonday sun as if it were a drug-induced experience. Try to explain and expand on the description he has given, and consider why he describes it the way he does. Do you feel he was suffering from heat stroke? Do you think being alone might have caught up with him? Do you think he is afraid for his survival in this moment of extreme heat? What is the reality of this section, in your opinion?

Essay Topic 3

Is Edward Abbey depressed? His inability to stop or shift the tides of progress comes through in his writing. Is he hopeful, or has he given up on the human race altogether? Explain your impressions, and provide examples.

(see the answer keys)

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