The Open Boat Short Question Test Answer Key

Short Answer Key

Part 1

1. What is being rocked as the novel opens?

The tiny boat.

2. What do the waves threaten to do?

Drown the boat.

3. Who is present at the opening of the novel?

Four men inside the boat.

4. What is the only thing the men can see at the book's beginning?

The slate color of the water.

5. Why do the men row?

To save their lives.

6. What is the boat comparable to in size?

A bathtub.

7. What idea seems optimistic at best?

Surviving the storm.

8. Who bails water from the boat?

The cook.

9. What is the oiler doing at the beginning of the novel?

Taking his turn with the oars.

10. Who is injured?

The captain.

11. What does the captain do in Part 1?

Keep up the direction and moral support.

12. Who is on the boat besides the...
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