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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. What is ever present in the camps?

2. Why does Shackleton stop the men from retrieving the three seals that they kill?

3. What quality best describes the men that Shackleton choose for his expedition?

4. What do the men discover about the new camp?

5. What word best describes the pay for individuals on the voyage?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Shackleton decide to do in December? What leads to this decision?

2. Why do the men struggle with getting the sledges across the ice?

3. How is the Endurance designed for a polar expedition?

4. The men begin to notice that the ice is affecting the Endurance. What is occurring and how is the Endurance affected?

5. As the men attempts sledging, what does McNeish do? How does Shackleton handle the situation?

6. How does Shackleton pay for his expedition?

7. What leads the men to take to the boats?

8. What do the men do to pass the time on the ice floe?

9. What is life like in the camps?

10. What experience does Shackleton have as an explorer?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The crew faces a lack of food at several points in the book. Why do they face this problem? What do the men do to try to solve the problem? What tactics do they use to find more food? Why do you think there were not more problems with the crew's attitude and actions in regards to the lack of food?

Essay Topic 2

The expedition's ship is named the Endurance. How does this name come to symbolize the events of the expedition? In what ways did the men "endure?" Are there any areas or times in which the men did not "endure?" Use examples from the book to back up your answers.

Essay Topic 3

Describe the trek over the mountains that Shackleton and two crew members take. What obstacles did they face? Why do you think Shackleton chose trekking over the mountains? Would you have made the same choice? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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