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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. Callahan scans the horizon for __________ while being haunted by thoughts of food and drink.

2. Callahan wonders how close he is to the _____________ as he works to keep the lower tube of the raft inflated.

3. What was the name of Callahan's ex-wife, who he remembers on what would have been another wedding anniversary?

4. From what besides the radar reflector does Callahan take the remnants in order to help make a crude rain collector?

5. Callahan even creates a contraption which might collect drinking water from the ______________.

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What does Callahan not have to worry about at night anymore now that the weather has turned warm?

3. What is the main problem Callahan's family is having with the Coast Guard in an effort to rescue him from the ocean?

4. What is becoming harder for Callahan to complete after he has fixed the breach in the boat?

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

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

7. What does Callahan attempt to do in order to keep himself hydrated as he continues to vomit?

8. How does Callahan try to lure other fish to his boat in order to catch more food for his stockpile?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The choice to set out on a journey on the high seas by one's self is not a decision to be made lightly.

Part 1: What do you think the reasons were for Callahan's desire to take on this journey?

Part 2: Do you think that this is a nonsense dream or do you think it's admirable? Support your answer.

Part 3: How do you think Callahan made his decision? What might have been his personal considerations?

Essay Topic 2

Many times, fixes which Callahan put into place suddenly do not work in the way that they did at the beginning.

Part 1: Why do you think the fixes aren't able to hold as well as Callahan thought they would?

Part 2: Would you panic if your fixes didn't work the way you expected them to?

Part 3: How do you think you might respond to problems in your boat returning again and again?

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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