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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 was Maralyn doing when Maurice rested after retrieving the last things from the Auralyn?

2. What was the name of the fisherman who threw a party in the Caribbean where Maralyn got "drunk as a lord" (45)?

3. What time of day did Maurice and Maralyn hid under the raft's canopy?

4. On the second night, how many hours did they row before resting?

5. During the trip from the Canaries to the Caribbean, how many times did it rain?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How did Maurice and Maralyn meet?

3. What happened when the Baileys saw a ship heading east in Part 2, Chapter 5?

4. What happened when Maurice and Maralyn tried to kill their second turtle?

5. How did Maurice and Maralyn decide to live on a boat?

6. How was the life raft constructed?

7. What did Maurice do after the Auralyn sank?

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

9. What did Maurice and Maralyn have for food and water after their boat sank, and how did it have to be rationed?

10. What were the problems with rowing?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Juxtaposition is a literary device that uses elements side by side to highlight their similarities and differences. How is juxtaposition used in A Marriage at Sea?

Essay Topic 3

People who are very different from one another are often attracted to each other. They complement and balance each other. How and why were Maurice and Maralyn attracted to one another, and what is conveyed about the idea that opposites attract in relationships?

(see the answer keys)

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