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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. Where do Dean and Sal stay in Detroit?

2. What action does Camille take with Dean and Sal in San Francisco?

3. What is the best time of day for Old Bull?

4. What does Marylou do when she sees Sal on the streets of San Francisco?

5. What is the first place Sal visits on his return trip to San Francisco in the spring of 1949?

Short Essay Questions

1. What arrives in San Francisco that allows Sal to return to New York?

2. Where do Sal, Dean, and Stan Shepherd travel in Part 4 of On the Road?

3. What happens to Sal in Mexico City?

4. Who do Sal and Dean ride with in a travel bureau car from San Francisco to Denver?

5. Who are the other passengers in the travel bureau car that belongs to a wealthy man in Chicago?

6. What does Sal do to put a damper on the friendship with Dean and Camille?

7. What is happening in Dean and Camille's lives when Sal visits them in San Francisco in the spring of 1949?

8. Sal and Dean have their first argument at a restaurant in Denver. What is the argument about?

9. What happens to Sal, Dean, and Marylou's car in Texas?

10. What does Old Bull think is a sign from Sal's father?

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

Compare and contrast the two central characters in On the Road, Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty, on the following:

a. The idea of being on the road.

b. The role of their fathers in their lives.

c. Their attitudes toward women.

Essay Topic 3

Sal has views about different groups who were marginalized in mid-20th century America. What are his views on these groups? Are there any differences among categories of people? If so, why? Cite specific examples from the book.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 564 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample