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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 job does Remi Boncoeur find for Sal in San Francisco?

2. Why do Sal and Terry leave Los Angeles?

3. What do Sal and Dean do in New York City on New Year's Eve?

4. What does Sal's aunt do in Washington D.C.?

5. When does Sal finally decide to go back on the road in Denver?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is traveling with Mississippi Gene?

2. Why does Sal stop in Cheyenne instead of continuing to Los Angeles with the two brothers from Minnesota?

3. How does Sal react after he introduces Dean Moriarty to Carlo Marx?

4. What does the group of friends do while in New York on New Year's Eve?

5. Who does Sal meet on the bus from Bakersfield to Los Angeles?

6. What is Sal's relationship like with Rita Bettencourt?

7. What are Sal's living arrangements while he is in Denver?

8. What favor does Remi ask Lee Ann before he moves out of their house?

9. What does Dean inform the group about at a party where Carlo is reading his poetry?

10. How does Sal get the money to travel from Denver to San Francisco?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Sometimes individuals or groups who refuse to adjust to mainstream society experience penalties for their decision. Do Sal and his friends experience any negative effects from those who are in mainstream America?

Cite specific examples from the book to support your answers.

Essay Topic 2

The author of On the Road, Jack Kerouac, thought that a connotation of the term, Beat Generation, was "beatific," meaning blessed or blissful. He also thought that the Beat Movement had spiritual or religious principles. Do you think the attitudes and actions of the characters in the book exemplify religious principles? Why or why not?

Cite specific examples from the book to support your answers.

Essay Topic 3

In American culture, starting as early as the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the California Gold Rush, California is viewed as the land of hope and promise.

a. Explain how California is viewed by Okies and Mexican immigrants in On the Road.

b. Explain how it is viewed by Sal Paradise.

(see the answer keys)

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