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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. Who do the police threaten to incarcerate?

2. Why does Bill hire a lawyer?

3. What does Bill begin searching for the moment he arrives in Mexico City?

4. What does Bill say he has visions of in this chapter?

5. What do the police do to people with injection scars?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what way do the police treat Bill badly?

2. What is yage?

3. How does the government help Bill and Old Ike continue their habits?

4. Why does Bill decide to flee to Mexico?

5. How is drink affecting Bill in a bad way in Segment 10?

6. Describe Bill's time in Texas in Section 8.

7. How does Old Ike help Bill in this segment?

8. Describe Bill's time with the young drug users.

9. Of what does Appendix 3 consist?

10. What is Bill's situation by the end of this segment?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Junky is written in the first person with Bill Lee as narrator. Why do you think Burroughs chose to write the story in the first person? How do you think the meaning of the story would have changed if it were written in the third person?

Essay Topic 2

Why is it important that drug addiction is addressed by someone who has experienced it? Do you think Burroughs' views have ever seriously been addressed in America?

Essay Topic 3

In the novel, Burroughs has many homosexual encounters.

1) How was homosexuality viewed in the 1930's?

2) How does Burroughs' sexual orientation affect his life? Does it have any bearing on his drug addiction?

(see the answer keys)

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