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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. How many people live on the island?

2. How do the men scare away the small sharks?

3. In how many hours was the crew supposed to make contact?

4. Squid land on what part of the raft?

5. What seemed out of place on the ocean?

Short Essay Questions

1. The crew entertains themselves by playing with what dangerous sea creatures? How do they play with them?

2. How do the men keep occupied while out on the sea? How are conflicts handled?

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

4. What are the names given to the South Sea Islands?

5. What topic is discussed by Thor and Teka? What is Teka's reaction to Thor's theory?

6. Where is the final destination? Who invites/receives the crew?

7. What type of pet is adopted by the crew while out at sea? What does the pet eat?

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

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

10. What item was destroyed on Easter Island that may have detailed the region's history? Who destroyed the item?

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

How do the natives from the nearby island help the crew of the Kon-Tiki? How is the plan acted out? What is the reaction of the other natives? How do the natives welcome the crew? Was the reception appropriate? Were gifts offered? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

There are several cases of foreshadowing used in the book. At least two involve the forthcoming incident of a man going overboard. Was the foreshadowing entirely correct? What actually happened? What was the outcome of the events? Who was involved in each event?

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This section contains 655 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample