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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. Who comes to the island in order to give Callahan a new wardrobe to wear after his journey?

2. What does Callahan lose as the raft begins to swirl around in a circle as he is attempting to navigate?

3. What is the new color that Callahan can now see when he is looking out onto the horizon?

4. What is Callahan careful not to mistake a static cloud for in the distance as he is sailing out in the sea?

5. What is the source of the flash that Callahan sees when he wakes up in the middle of the night on April 20th?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the damage which Callahan notices has occurred on his fishing spear, making it less effective?

2. What does Callahan have to do before he can fix up the problem with the lower half of the life raft?

3. How does Callahan attempt to plot his likely course as he begins to recover from his illness?

4. What is able to help Callahan replenish his water supply for a bit while the stills continue to be temperamental?

5. What does Callahan do to celebrate the sight of land in the distance?

6. What happens to the boat as a result of the fish fighting with Callahan during his attempts to catch it?

7. What happens to the raft as the winds begin to pick up around the raft as Callahan tries to navigate?

8. What is the fix that Callahan uses on the lower tube, helping it to hold air better than the upper tube?

9. What was the warning that Callahan's ex-wife had given him, which Callahan now recalls?

10. What are the three parts in which Callahan decides his mind has been split into as a result of this trip on the sea?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Callahan's struggle to survive causes him to react instinctively when things go wrong.

Part 1: Why do you think the brain is able to continue to do things which will support human life?

Part 2: How do you think your body and mind might react if you were suddenly in a survival situation?

Part 3: Why do you think Callahan doesn't always trust in his survival instincts at first?

Essay Topic 2

Even though he is starving, Callahan points out that he is weary of killing fish to survive.

Part 1: Why do you think Callahan states that he is weary of killing fish around him?

Part 2: How do you think you would feel about killing animals if it were the only way you could get food?

Part 3: Do you think that Callahan is simply tired of working so hard to survive? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

The Coast Guard doesn't seem all that interested in helping the Callahan find their lost family member.

Part 1: Why do you think the Coast Guard isn't as helpful as they could have been?

Part 2: How do you think the Coast Guard could have helped out more?

Part 3: Do you think the story might have been a little biased in the way it portrayed the Coast Guard? Is this possible?

(see the answer keys)

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