View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Dr. Herbert Cooley at Keyport tended to Joseph when he was brought ashore. Joseph's ______________ received a large bite. The doctor treated the wound and had Joseph rushed to the hospital.

2. What were placed at the mouth of the creek so the shark could not escape?

3. ________________ were strapped to the boats as gunmen stood waiting for the shark to surface.

4. Coppleson would one day refer to these attacks as those by the "____________" of New Jersey.

5. In most cases, white sharks dislike the taste of humans and do what?

Short Essay Questions

1. Whom did newspaper reporters in New York contact regarding shark attacks? Why did they contact this man?

2. 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?

3. What proof does Chapter 11 give to suggest this was a young shark?

4. Describe the first realization that a shark had entered the Matawan Creek.

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

6. How did the boys react to Lester Stilwell being pull under by the shark? Was this a good idea? Why or why not?

7. Describe what took place on July 7, 1916.

8. What happened to both Joseph and Stanley Fisher?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Very few of the shark attack victims were saved.

Part 1) Describe the attacks. Why were they so vicious? What did these attacks all have in common? How were the attacks that were fatal different from those that were not fatal?

Part 2) Why were so many of these attacks fatal? What did this reveal about the shark? What other factors, other than the shark's powerful bite, made the attack more dangerous?

Part 3) Could more of the victims be saved today? Why or why not? What does this say about the power of a shark bite? In what ways might swimmers be safer today from sharks than they were in the past?

Essay Topic 2

A myth regarding a shark's power to kill is frequently supported throughout this book.

Part 1) What is this myth? How might it have begun? How was it supported by experts, as described in this book? How else was this myth perpetuated?

Part 2) How did the general public, as well as the victims of these attacks, suffer from this myth? Even after several of these attacks, why did many continue to believe this myth?

Part 3) How might the events in this story have been different if few people still believed in this myth? Do many believe this myth today? Why or why not? How might this affect the frequency of shark attacks and the education of those who swim in shark-infested waters?

Essay Topic 3

Many of the resorts along the Jersey shore wanted to keep their beaches open.

Part 1) What attempts were made to keep these beaches open? Were these good ideas? Why or why not? Should the beaches have been kept open? Why or why not?

Part 2) What other disasters might affect the economy of a beach community like the Jersey shore? How might those living in and visiting these communities deal with these disasters?

Part 3) When have communities or the government kept information from the general public to keep the economy from collapsing? How did this, in the end, affect the economy?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,282 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample