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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. How did Joan Erickson keep herself strong and healthy?

2. In what kind of family was Joan's husband raised?

3. What is ebb tide?

4. Why did Joan think she was better off than the rich local women who bought fish from her in the market?

5. From whom did Joan get the wobbly kitchen table in the cottage?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Joshua Cahoon differ from Joan's husband?

2. How did Joan's winter days and nights with her husband and children compare to her winter on Cape Cod?

3. Who was Joan Erikson and how did Joan meet her?

4. In Chapter 9, Fogged In, why was Joan concerned about her writing career?

5. How did Joan fare in the footrace in Chapter 8, Getting My Feet Wet, and what did the race symbolize to her?

6. What was Larry's PX and how did the men who congregated there respond to Joan's presence?

7. What did Joan think of the wealthy wives who came into the fish market and ordered expensive fish?

8. How did Joan's husband respond to her day with the seals and what does his response indicate about their marriage?

9. How did Joshua Cahoon treat Joan when he took her to the seal island?

10. What kind of Christmas tree did Joan and her husband have on Cape Cod, and how did they decorate?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the theme of self-reliance in the book. How did Joan demonstrate self-reliance at Cape Cod, and was she self-reliant all her life, or did she become more so during her year by the sea? Cite examples from the text to support your arguments.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the importance of the seal island to Joan. What lessons did she learn from the island and the seals that inhabit it? Why did her husband not understand the importance of the island to her? Cite examples from the text to support your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the influence of nature in Joan's life during her year at Cape Cod. What aspects of nature did Joan encounter, and how did they help her healing and growth? Cite examples from the text to support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

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