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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. The men thought once the shark was killed, it would do what?

2. How was Fisher able to fight against the shark?

3. What did the shark do to Renny?

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. On July ____, 1916, a small group of men and their boats were organized to hunt the man-eater down.

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Sharks have existed since the Age of Reptiles.

Part 1) Describe the Great White shark. How is it well-adapted for its environment? Why has it not evolved since the Age of Reptiles? What makes it such a successful species? How does this also make it a danger to humans?

Part 2) How is the shark repeatedly shown to be a powerful and dangerous creature? Although dangerous, is the shark an evil man-eater? Why or why not? How do other areas of the book support your response?

Part 3) What is another animal that is high on the food chain and adapts well to changes in its environment? How does this animal compare to the shark? How dangerous is this animal to mankind? Explain.

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

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?

(see the answer keys)

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