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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. Why does the crew have a hard time handling a particular sea cucumber?
(a) Because that sea cucumber has a very strange skin that was so slippery.
(b) Because that sea cucumber has a very foul smell, making the crew unable to come near it.
(c) Because that sea cucumber has a habit of expelling its insides when taken out of water.
(d) Because that sea cucumber had a lot of thorns, unusual for its kind.

2. What does the crew call the invertebrates that Steinbeck and Ricketts catch?
(a) Blobs.
(b) Bugs.
(c) Jello.
(d) No Bones.

3. What feeling does Steinbeck get from Estero de la Luna?
(a) That it is not a friendly place.
(b) At one with nature.
(c) That it is full of ghosts.
(d) At home and do not want to leave.

4. What little surprise does the crew find in the seemingly uninteresting beach?
(a) A large treasure chest that contains jewels.
(b) A group of rattlesnakes which follow them wherever they go.
(c) A large school of tiny fish comes in and make a hissing noise in the water all around them.
(d) A treasure map buried in the sand, which indicates that a treasure can be found in the Sea of Cortez.

5. Why is the crew unable to collect many specimens on the day following Easter Sunday?
(a) Because the tide does not go very low, making it difficult to collect species in general.
(b) Because Steinbeck and Ricketts get into a fight, making it too awkward to do any collection.
(c) Because the local police arrest Tex for not wearing a t-shirt all the time.
(d) Because the locals will not allow them to take anything from their ocean.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does the crew forego stopping at Santa Rosalia?

2. Where does the boat sail next on March 30 after collecting freshwater species?

3. What does the expedition party use instead of the tide chart to watch the rise and fall of the tides?

4. Which statement best describes Puerto Escondido?

5. What does the party find in Angeles Bay?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain Steinbeck's thoughts on the wastage of food witnesses together with Ricketts on the Japanese dredge boats.

2. It is mentioned that Tex is getting married and therefore should be watching his weight very keenly. Speculate on Tex's marriage. Why did he agree to sail even when he is getting married? Why can't he stay on a diet to look good on his wedding day?

3. Provide a description to how Steinbeck, Ricketts and the crew do the labeling and sorting of their collected specimen.

4. Describe the strange experience the group has with the Americans and the Mexicans they encounter in Angeles Bay.

5. Near Guaymas, the crew feel a little contempt over the fact that the fishermen they see are too spotless in their white outfits. Explain briefly the circumstances and why the crew feel such contempt.

6. What does the expedition party encounter at the port of Guaymas? Explain their reactions to the situation.

7. Explain Steinbeck's theory on how man can improve himself and the human race if only he studies certain cycles in civilization.

8. Discuss Steinbeck's lamentations on the briefness of their expedition, and how he wished that they have brought full-sized aquariums.

9. Describe the expedition party's experience with their camera equipment. What happens with the equipment and what resolutions are derived from their experience?

10. Tiny harpoons stingrays at the island of Tiburon. Give probable explanations to Tiny's seemingly attachment to harpoons. Cite specific examples in the book to support this explanation.

(see the answer keys)

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