4. Most of the flesh on Fisher's thigh from his hip to his knee was gone. When a doctor was finally rounded up, he observed that the bone was not severed but his ____________ artery was bleeding profusely.

5. By Saturday, July 15, Coney Island and Brighton Beach had lost an estimated __________________ beach goers, replaced by gangs of men armed with guns and spears bent on killing sharks.

Short Essay Questions

1. What might have caused the shark to head north?

2. What did Fisher do to try to get Lester's body? How did this affect Fisher? Should he have done this? Why or why not?

3. What might have drawn the shark to the shark-patrol boat? Why?

4. After the attack on Charles Bruder, what happened to the news regarding the shark? Why did this happen?

5. To what animal is a shark compared? How is this belief supported?

6. How do events in this story prove that not everyone had heard about the man-eating shark?

7. If the shark was near the shark-patrol boat, why were they unable to catch it or shoot it?

8. What was done to try to catch the shark? Why did people react this way?

9. How were New York and New Jersey's economies affected by this shark? How did the people of these states react to this? How did this lead to federal government efforts?

10. What was done to help keep swimmers safe? Was this effective? Why or why not?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Most of the attacks described in this book ended in death.

Part 1) Describe these attacks. When did they occur? Where did they occur? Why did they occur? What happened to those who were attacked? Why did the shark attack them in this way?

Part 2) Are shark attacks as deadly today as they were in 1916? Why or why not? Is there anything one can do if he or she is attacked by a shark? If so, what? If not, why not?

Part 3) Is swimming worth the risk of a shark attack? Why or why not? How have the descriptions of these attacks affected your opinion of sharks and swimming in the ocean?

Essay Topic 2

Human-like bones were found in the belly of the shark.

Part 1) Describe the catching of the shark. How did it finally die? Could the shark have been killed if it had been full-grown or healthy? Why or why not? What does this reinforce about the power of sharks?

Part 2) What was found in the belly of the shark? Were the bones definitively found to be human remains? Why or why not? How might an investigation such as this have been different today? Why?

Part 3) Was there adequate proof that this was the shark that attacked and killed so many people? Why or why not? Do you believe the same shark attacked and/or killed all these people? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Great White sharks do not like the taste of humans.

Part 1) How does this book support this statement? Why might sharks not like the taste of humans? Why would a shark attack a human, if it does not like the taste of humans?

Part 2) What does the attack and eating of humans say about the mindset of a shark? How does it support the way in which they are programed to hunt?

Part 3) Why do other animals that are a danger to humans attack humans? What do these animals have in common? How should humans deal with these dangers? Why should they deal with them in this way?

(see the answer keys)

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