Close to Shore: The Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916 Test | Mid-Book Test - Medium

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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Though young sharks can seem slow-moving, when stimulated they can reach speeds of ____________ miles per hour.
(a) Twenty.
(b) Thirty.
(c) Fifty.
(d) Seventy.

2. The next day, articles appeared in both the New York Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer about the shark attack. Where were these articles located?
(a) In the middle of the newspapers.
(b) On back pages.
(c) Nowhere.
(d) On front pages.

3. ______________________ of working-class men and women migrated across downtown Philadelphia to the coast on the first day of July 1916.
(a) Thousands.
(b) Millions.
(c) Hundreds.
(d) Dozens.

4. The owner and captain of the yacht was the wealthy shipping mogul Hermann Oelrichs. One of Oelrichs' goals was to debunk the myth that sharks were man-eaters. He felt certain that their bad publicity stemmed from pure fantasy. He had offered a reward of ____________ for proof that any person had ever been attacked by a shark.
(a) $5,000.
(b) $500.
(c) $50.
(d) $100.

5. Dr. Nichols, after viewing Bruder's wounds, concluded what?
(a) The young man's death was caused by the attack of an orca, a killer whale.
(b) The young man's death was caused by the attack of a sea turtle.
(c) The young man's death was caused by the attack of a shark.
(d) The young man's death was caused by the attack of a dolphin.

Short Answer Questions

1. What were women doing that was scandalous to many?

2. What did some think had killed Charles Bruder?

3. As beach goers ran in to try to pull Charles ashore, the shark with bits of Charles' flesh in his mouth, did what?

4. Who ordered everyone out of the water?

5. Beach life had deteriorated in some minds from the many young people visiting, who engaged in what?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens by the time a shark is eight years old? How is this significant?

2. What might have drawn the shark to the shore? How is this a plausible explanation?

3. What was the official report after Charles Bruder's death? What was done as this report was being filed?

4. How is the behavior of a young shark different from an older shark? What might this say about the shark that attacked in 1916?

5. Why might the hotel have kept Charles' death a secret?

6. How does the story begin? How is this chapter important?

7. Why did Charles Bruder decide to go for a swim?

8. What might have drawn this particular shark north?

9. Why did Charles feel he had reached the shore safely, even though he knew he was being followed? Why might the shark have attacked him anyway?

10. How had beach life changed over the years? How might this also have played a role in the chance for shark attacks?

(see the answer keys)

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