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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. Whose birthplace is Steinbeck anxious to visit?

2. Where does Steinbeck head after Bismarck?

3. Where does Steinbeck head after leaving Chicago?

4. What is the occupation of Steinbeck's camping neighbor for the night?

5. What does a friend want Steinbeck to bring back from his trip?

Short Essay Questions

1. What philosophical thoughts does Steinbeck have when he passes into Idaho?

2. What does Steinbeck admire most about Texans?

3. Explain the irony in the scene where Steinbeck and Charley explore a sequoia grove.

4. What has Steinbeck learned about America so far?

5. What does Steinbeck encounter in New Orleans that sickens him?

6. What two national attractions does Steinbeck visit before leaving Montana?

7. Explain how the Badlands are a study in opposites.

8. Why is Steinbeck conflicted as he leaves Texas and heads for Louisiana?

9. How does Steinbeck justify his opinion that the river crossing at Bismarck is the true demarcation between east and west?

10. Why does Steinbeck fall in love with Montana?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What lessons about bureaucracy does Steinbeck learn at the U.S.-Canadian border? What are Steinbeck's opinions about governments, their laws and the people they put in place to enforce them? How does Steinbeck separate his hate for governments from his love for countries?

Essay Topic 2

Explain how Steinbeck was able to diffuse a family fight between a gruff man in Idaho and the man's 20-year-old son who wanted to be a hairdresser in a big city. It is not stated, but there is the possibility that the young man was gay and the father could not accept this part of his son. Do you think this is the position Steinbeck was able to ascertain quickly? Explain why the topic of homosexuality was even more taboo in 1960 than it is today.

Essay Topic 3

Explain the Cold War in America. Why are Steinbeck and the people he meets so obsessed with it? How does Steinbeck come to terms with the Cold War in order to live his life with some sort of calm?

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