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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 destroys Isaac's house during the storm?

2. Where do some of the occupants of the second train go to ride out the storm?

3. How many blocks from the beach is St. Mary's Orphanage?

4. By what time is the water covering the first three blocks from the beach on the day of the storm?

5. What smell begins to dilute the smell of death in Galveston?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do people in Galveston initially react to the storm?

2. In addition to the miracle of surviving the storm, what other miracle do Joseph and Isaac experience on the day of the hurricane?

3. What does August Rollfing experience during the hurricane?

4. How do Isaac and Dr. Young interpret what they see from the beach Saturday morning differently?

5. What is Captain Simmons experiencing on the Pensacola as the storm intensifies?

6. How does Moore distort the truth about how he handled the hurricane?

7. How do the children of Galveston react in the early hours of the storm?

8. How do Joseph's and Isaac's accounts of the hurricane differ in tone?

9. How does Isaac handle Moore's lies and distortion of the truth about how the Weather Bureau handled the hurricane?

10. Why does Joseph want his telegram to the U.S. Weather Bureau chief be kept completely confidential?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Was the hurricane truly Isaac's Storm? How much of the blame for the loss of life should lie at Isaac's feet?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of the folly of man and the way it resonates throughout the book. How is the story of Isaac's Storm an example of man's best intentions gone tragically wrong?

Essay Topic 3

Isaac said this in relation to deciding on a career: "I then made up my mind that I would seek some field where I could tell big stories and tell the truth." Discuss what he means by this as well as whether he accomplished this goal. What is prophetic about this quote in relation to the hurricane?

(see the answer keys)

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