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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 crew sees what sign that there is land ahead?

2. How long is the weighted line used by the crew?

3. Which crew member falls overboard?

4. What item may have been eaten to ward off fatigue?

5. How is the boy cured?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do the natives honor the crew?

2. Why do the crew members take the dinghy into the water? What is their reaction?

3. What is Heyerdahl's explanation of the reality of the hut versus the waves?

4. How is the crew rescued? Where are they taken and by who?

5. Heyerdahl thinks about how the ancients might have gathered or transported water. What were his conclusions?

6. How does the crew avoid hitting the Takume and Raroia reefs? What is the result?

7. Pilot fish are some of the fish that accompany the raft during the trip. How does Heyerdahl describe the pilot fish?

8. How did Easter Island get its name? What about the island changed at that time?

9. What causes the men to rethink the landing on the island?

10. What items are found on the island and what do they indicate?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

About the time the crew arrived at the tiny, uninhabited island, this comment was made: "'Purgatory was a bit damp,' said Bengt, 'but heaven is more or less as I'd imagined it.'" What did Bengt mean? To what was he comparing Purgatory and Heaven? Do you feel that the comparison was accurate? How might the other crew members felt about the comment?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the personalities of Thor Heyerdahl and Peter Freuchen, the Danish Arctic explorer. Was one of the men correct? Were they opinions expressed by the men in direct conflict? Did either of them prove to be correct?

Essay Topic 3

Heyerdahl discusses the arrival of Christian missionaries on Easter Island. When did the missionaries arrive and what was the purpose? What item was destroyed on Easter Island that may have detailed the region's history? What was the reason for the destruction? How might the item have changed how the world perceives Easter Island?

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