The Hitchhiker by Lucille Fletcher

What does Adams do to show that he is sane?

• states facts about himself
• tells the story of the hitchhiker
• discusses Mother's concerns
• admits that his life might end soon

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What does the music in note in the following lines indicate?
Adams. . . . This may be the last thing I ever tell on earth . . . the last night I ever see the stars. . . .(music in) Adams. Six days ago I left Brooklyn, to drive to California . . . 

• A car is moving.
  
• Adams is talking
  
• Mother is worrying.
• Adams is remembering. 

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Which event foreshadows the appearance of the hitchhiker? 

• The man at the gas station fills up Adams’s car. 
• Mother tells Adams not to pick up strangers. 
• An operator asks Adams to deposit money. 
• Adams tells Mother that he will be careful. 

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Adams picks up the girl because 

• he thinks that he recognizes her
• she is afraid on the road
• he wants company in his car
• the male hitchhiker fears her

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What does Adams learn from Mrs. Whitney? 

• He died in an automobile accident
• His family has forgotten him
• Mrs. Whitney is the hitchhiker.
• Mother has moved from Brooklyn

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Orson Welles’s statements emphasize the idea that 

• terrifying events usually happen when you least expect them to 
• a story based on true events is more disturbing than a ghost story 
• acts of violence are difficult to portray in a radio program 
• a tale of suspense can be as frightening as a horror story 

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What is the main purpose of the music in note in these lines from the opening of the radio play?
Adams. . . . This may be the last thing I ever tell on earth . . . the last night I ever see the stars . . . (music in) Adams. Six days ago I left Brooklyn, to drive to California . . . 

• to create a sense of intrigue and suspense 
• to distract the listener from Adams’s problem 
• to signal a transition from the present to the past 
• to allow the actor to prepare for the next scene 

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Which event is an example of how Fletcher uses foreshadowing to prepare you for the dramatic action of the radio play? 

• Mother warns Adams about driving recklessly and picking up strangers. 
• Adams wants company and picks up a girl who is hitchhiking. 
• Adams telephones Mother from an auto camp in Gallup, New Mexico. 
• A gas station attendant offers to check the oil in Adams’s car. 

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What does Adams come to believe while he is stuck on the train tracks? 

• He is merely imagining the hitchhiker. 
• The hitchhiker is leading him to death. 
• He is lonely and must pick up the hitchhiker. 
• His mother is gravely ill and needs his help. 

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At the end of the radio play, Adams realizes that six days earlier he 

• lost his mother to a fatal disease 
• killed the hitchhiker on the train tracks 
• died in an automobile accident in Brooklyn 
• went insane and abandoned his responsibilities 

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