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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. On July ________, 1916, Renny Cartan, Jr., his cousin Johnson Cartan, and some other friends took off for the swimming hole at the nearby creek.

2. The US Bureau of ______________ declared that people should not be deterred from going into the waters since "sharks were not vicious" (p. 82). Sharks were deemed to be less a threat to man than horses and dogs.

3. When Lester was pulled under by the shark, the boys ran into town and told ___________________ what had happened.

4. Despite their efforts, what happened to the beaches?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the health of the average great white. How does this compare to the juvenile shark that attacked in 1916?

2. What is a rogue shark? How did this term come about?

3. 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?

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

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

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

7. What did Lucas and others think about the idea of man-eating sharks? How did they support this belief?

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

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

10. What had occurred by July 9th? Why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The shark swam into a fresh water creek.

Part 1) Why did the shark do this? What did this reveal about the shark at this time? How might the shark's state of mind have played a role in the many attacks along the Matawan Creek?

Part 2) What could have been done to keep the shark out of the creek? Might tactics such as this be used today? Why or why not? Do you see creeks as being dangerous now because of this event? Why or why not?

Part 3) In what ways has man tried to control nature to make life better for all mankind? What are the results of these attempts? Why? Should man attempt to control nature? Why or why not?

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

This book begins with Charles Vansant swimming in the ocean.

Part 1) What feelings does this chapter evoke in the reader? How are these feelings continued throughout the book? What is the purpose of these feelings? How might these feelings influence the reader regarding his or her view of Great Whites?

Part 2) Why does the author choose to tell Charles' story in several chapters, separated by other chapters about sharks? What is the purpose of mixing stories of shark attacks with objective information about the life of a shark?

Part 3) How does the author seem to feel about sharks? Why might he feel this way? Use the book to support your response. How do you feel about sharks after reading this book? Why do you feel this way?

(see the answer keys)

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