View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the narrator's usual criticism of Jack?

2. In Chapter 8, "The Pinnace," what instruction does the narrator give his sons on the Sunday at Falconhurst?

3. In Chapter 7, "Bread," what important discovery does Fritz make in crates onboard the shipwreck?

4. In Chapter 8, "The Pinnace," what creature does Jack mistake for a crocodile?

5. In Chapter 9, "A Growing Menagerie," what important substance does Fritz discover a supply of?

Short Essay Questions

1. When the narrator finally agrees to build a treehouse, what does he say he will do with their original camping site?

2. What problem occurs when the family tries to launch their barrel boat, and how do they solve it?

3. What is convenient about the discovery of the dead shark's body?

4. In Chapter 7, "Bread," what does the reader learn about the mission of the ship, and why is this so fortunate for the family?

5. How does the family observe their first Sabbath together?

6. When Fritz shoots the margay, how does Ernest react, and what does the narrator tell him?

7. When the narrator and Fritz go exploring for the first time and are walking through the grass, what animal surprises them, and how do they react?

8. What jobs does Elizabeth take on from the time of the shipwreck onward?

9. On the second morning, why are the dogs afraid of Fritz, and how does he win them over?

10. When the narrator finds the karatas plant, what does he ask Ernest, and what does his motivation for the question seem to be?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the novel's narrative voice: how does it characterize the narrator, how would you describe the narrator's language, and how does it impact the reader's experience of the story?

Essay Topic 2

Readers often react negatively to the variety of animal-based foods that the family eats while on the island. How much of this reaction is cultural? Write an essay in which you discuss the likely response of a European audience of the early nineteenth century, using internet research to support your claims about what Europeans of this time were accustomed to eating and what their attitude to novel food sources would likely have been. Be sure to cite your sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

What is the purpose of offering moments of humor in a didactic novel? Write an essay that evaluates the use of humor in this novel and offers a theory about the relationship of this humor to the novel's purpose as a teaching tool. Be sure to offer textual support for your claims. If you use outside resources in your discussion of the didactic novel, be sure to cite your sources in MLA format.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 962 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample