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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. What does Dirk discover attached to the handrail on the side of the ship at the battle between the Martha Ann's crew and the men from the sea?

2. Which friend of her father's does Adrian admit to Dirk she has been sleeping with?

3. What threat does Dirk face being left behind as as the others ride the air bubble from the Starbuck's escape hatch to the surface?

4. When Dirk meets Delphi in his underwater caves, how much time is left before the seamount explodes?

5. How many men escape with Dirk on the helicopter from the Martha Ann?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does LT Robert Buckmaster discover at the old Army installation, which supposedly belongs to Delphi that partially explains the entirely unexpected fierce resistance to Marine's invasion? How might this situation have come to be?

2. In both Chapters 9 and 10, Dirk endeavors to get his way by assuring the Naval men that he "will take full responsibility." Why does this seem to be the easiest way for Dirk to gain their compliance?

3. Why does Dirk flood the Starbuck's torpedo compartment?

4. How is the scent of the eucalyptus oil explained? How does it support the theory of the seamount?

5. What changes ADM Hunter's mind about obeying the destroy orders from the joint Chiefs in Washington D.C.?

6. What happens during Dirk's final radio transmission from the C-5airplane before they touch down on the surface of the ocean? what does it mean for their rescue mission?

7. How does Dirk reinforce his disregard for authority upon return from the Pacific Vortex with the crew of the Martha Ann?

8. When Dirk discovers LCDR Boland has been stabbed with a spear, he decides the spear must come out. What is standard first aid procedure for puncture/impalement wounds and why and how does Dirk deviate from it?

9. There are three operations, with different codenames going on simultaneously in Chapter 16. What are their different codenames and objectives?

10. What does Dirk fear lays in store for the Martha Ann? What information is he now armed with that may help? What does he still not know that could be fatal?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

ADM Hunter's view of and reactions to Dirk will drive certain parts of the plot, especially towards the end of the book. How does ADM Hunter's view of Dirk change throughout the book? Cite specific examples of change moments. Where or to what do these changes lead?

Essay Topic 2

Quote from CDR Burdette Denver: "Piracy on the high seas went out with the manufacture of cutlasses." Is this actually a true statement? Is piracy a possible or probable explanation for the Pacific Vortex? Provide evidence both from the book and from independent research to support your claims.

Essay Topic 3

Carefully analyze the "real" condition of the Starbuck with respect to international maritime law. Whose waters is she sitting in and who can rightfully claim her? How do the laws of maritime salvage govern this kind of at-sea loss? Most importantly, how does this contribute to the urgency and top-secretiveness in the plot?

(see the answer keys)

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