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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 does the inside of the cabin smell like?

2. Where is the Kon-Tiki's final destination?

3. How long are the reefs encountered by the Kon-Tiki?

4. What distinguishing mark did the ancients have?

5. What does the crew attempt to do to at first avoid the reefs?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Where do the men nearly land? How do they determine the name?

3. What hinders the Kon-Tiki from traveling to a second island?

4. With whom does the crew make contact? How is the contact made?

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

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

7. There is one thing that turns out to be advantageous to a raft that would be dangerous to a boat. What is it? What is the advantage?

8. What happens when the raft approaches Angatau?

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

10. There is at least one thing that Heyerdahl feels he has in common with the ancients. What is it?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The Kon-Tiki ended up docking in the lagoon of a tiny, uninhabited island. While there were no people, there were certain artifacts found. What items are found on the island and what do they indicate? How did the crew respond to finding the items? Was there any way to tell when the artifacts may have been left there? If so, what? What did the crew do with the items?

Essay Topic 2

What is the purpose of the trip to Guayaquil? Was Guayaquil the appropriate spot for the mission? Describe the climate and general atmosphere of Guayaquil along with its location and overview of its culture. Explain the level of success of the mission and state the reasons for the opinion.

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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This section contains 671 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample