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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. When Gantos awoke one morning in Section 1, Chapter 4, he was covered in blisters which he began to think of as ___________.

2. Where in Florida did Jack Gantos's parents send him so that he could finish school?

3. What is a literary device in which an author indistinctly suggests certain plot developments that might come later in the story?

4. Hamilton is described as being between ___________ years of age.

5. Hamilton taught Gantos that he couldn't just defecate in the ocean, as what would likely happen?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Gantos learn from Hamilton along the journey in Section 2, Chapter 3?

2. What is central in the exposition revealed in Section 1, Chapter 4? How is Gantos established as a character?

3. How old was Gantos when he began working full-time? How does he describe the work and his lifestyle in Section 1, Chapter 2?

4. How is Hamilton's knowledge of Gantos and his fears described in Section 2, Chapter 3?

5. Where did Gantos's family send him to finish high school? Why did he leave this home?

6. How does Gantos describe his school in Fort Lauderdale? What was Gantos like among his schoolmates?

7. Why did Gantos take upon the job building the crate for Rik in Section 2, Chapter 1?

8. What did Gantos discover in his discussions with Tim Scanlon? What plan did the two of them hatch?

9. What did Gantos do instead of departing for St. Croix?

10. What led Hamilton and Gantos to follow the Coast Guard in Section 2, Chapter 3?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the setting of Gantos' childhood in Pennsylvania and Florida. Where in each state did Gantos live? When did his family move to Florida? How does Gantos describe his family life and his father's business? How did Gantos feel about his father?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and analyze the narrative structure of the autobiography. Where does Gantos' exposition transition into the rising action of the plot? Where is the climax of the narrative? What takes place in the denouement? How traditional is this plot structure?

Essay Topic 3

Define, identify and analyze the foreshadowing in Section 2, Chapter 4. What sense did Gantos and Hamilton get upon realizing their boat had been moved? How does the author use this incident to raise suspense in the narrative?

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