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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. Why can white sharks not survive in fresh water?

2. Just before they gave up, Fisher decided to dive one more time. He resurfaced and told Lester's waiting parents and the others what?

3. _______ Craven, walking along the bank of the creek, had just about given up on the shark when he saw something bobbing in the water. It was Lester.

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

5. Why did the shark do this to Renny?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What did Coppleson think of the shark attacks of 1916? How does this compare to other beliefs at the time and beliefs today?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

10. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Stanley Fisher died trying to save Lester Stillwell.

Part 1) Describe the attack on Lester and Fisher's attempt to save him. Why did Fisher decide to try to save Lester? Did he believe he could save Lester's life? Why or why not? What did this decision to go after Lester reveal about Fisher?

Part 2) Would you be willing to risk your life to save another? Why or why not?

Part 3) Should Fisher have jumped in after Lester? Why or why not? Did this action on Fisher's part make him a hero? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

By the time the shark was caught, many feared swimming in the waters of the Atlantic.

Part 1) Describe the reaction to the news of the shark attacks at the beginning of this book. Why did people react this way? How did this reaction change over the course of the book? Why did it change?

Part 2) How was this fear of swimming in the Atlantic perpetuated for years after the shark was caught? Why were people so fearful after years with no attacks? Should they have been fearful? Why or why not?

Part 3) Should sharks be feared today? Why or why not? What can be done to protect both humans and sharks from each other? Is this being done? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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