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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 does Summer save Dirk from drowning?

2. What character is stricken by smallpox in Chapter 16?

3. How do Dirk and Summer propose to salvage the bombs from the I-411?

4. Who is Takeo Yoshida?

5. How do Sarah and her fellow scientists survive?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Kang plan to do with the Baekje?

2. Describe what happens as the Sea Rover is being flooded in Chapter 28 and how the crew is rescued.

3. Describe the death of the first two meteorologists in Chapter 1.

4. Why does Tanaka lie to Commander Ogawa in the introduction when Ogawa asks if his crew is in danger in the book's introduction?

5. What happens to Keith Catana in Chapter 11?

6. What is so audacious about the way Kang plans to kill Dirk and Summer in Chapter 34?

7. What is the outcome of the meeting between Dirk and bureaucrats from the Department of Homeland Security?

8. Describe what happens on board the command boat that is supposed to launch with the Odyssey in Chapter 40.

9. What are Kang and those on board the Sea Rover looking for in Chapter 22?

10. What is the mission of the Japanese Red Army?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Black Wind is chock-full of familiar characters. Even if one has never read any of Cussler's Dirk Pitt novels, the reader will recognize many archetypes - the hero(s), the villain, the mentor, the deceiver, etc. Looking at the novel as a whole, select five characters. For each character, (a) compare them to other similar characters in fiction - other heroes, other villains, etc.; (b) evaluate how creative Cussler has been in breathing new life into these familiar types.

Essay Topic 2

Looking at Black Wind as a whole, describe what you think the authors were trying to accomplish. Consider whether they were trying to make a statement about the current world situation, whether the book should be viewed as as treatise of good vs. evil, or if the goal was just to tell a rip-roaring adventure yarn. Do not limit yourself to these suggestions - place yourself in the Cusslers' shoes as Clive said, "OK, son, what do you want to do with this book?" Justify your answers in detail.

Essay Topic 3

Dirk Pitt, Jr., is the hub of several relational spokes. Dirk Jr. relates to his father, his sister, his girlfriend, his sidekick, even his enemy. Choose five of Dirk's relationships, and explore them by comparing and contrasting those relationships to each other. Evaluate how Dirk's relationship with each of them shows a different facet of his nature and personality. Explain how persuasive and believable these relationships are.

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