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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. Where did Maurice serve two years of military service?

2. Eating what part of the fish they caught made Maurice and Maralyn thirsty?

3. Where did Maralyn want to travel on a boat?

4. How many tins did the couple manage to save from their sunk boat?

5. With the water they had, how much could Maralyn and Maurice drink daily?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Maurice and Maralyn do when their boat was damaged by a whale?

2. When did Maurice and Maralyn leave England and sail to the Canary Islands, and why did they leave then?

3. What navigational tools did Maurice have?

4. What damaged the boat on March 4, 1973?

5. What was Maurice's life like before he met Maralyn?

6. How was the boat damaged?

7. How did Maralyn make fishhooks after she discovered theirs were missing?

8. How did Maurice and Maralyn try to use the turtles to pull them across the ocean?

9. What was Maurice and Maralyn's wedding like?

10. When Maurice considered asking Maralyn to marry him, what things was he not willing to give up or tolerate?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Idioms are words that have a figurative, rather than a literal meaning. How are idioms used in A Marriage at Sea when relating conversations? How do idioms help create word pictures and mental images for readers in a concise manner? How do idioms help readers understand people, emotions, events, or ideas?

Essay Topic 2

The shipwreck tested Maurice and Maralyn's marriage. How would you describe the couple’s relationship and how it changed after the shipwreck?

Essay Topic 3

Maurice and Maralyn vacillated between hope and despair when they were adrift. What is communicated about survival and the importance of meeting physical and psychological needs?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 792 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample