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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 happened when Twain initially tried to envision the vicious murder of Captain Cook?

2. In the story that Twain recounted for chapter 16, who bested Mr. Harris during an event in the legislature?

3. What was the sheath of Cook's monument made of?

4. What state did Twain compare Hawaii's sugar production with in chapter 23?

5. Included in the postscript of chapter 17, how did General Van Valkenburgh find a human tooth in a wall of lava?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why was the attempt by Twain and Mr. Brown to get food in chapter 20 humorous?

2. How was Captain Mitchell instrumental in keeping his crew alive?

3. Which parts of the princess's ceremony were not appreciated by Twain?

4. Who did Twain interview about the tragic circumstances of the Hornet, how long was the crew lost at sea, and how many survivors were there?

5. What description did Twain give of Kona's volcanic ground?

6. Why did Twain's disappointment of the crater of Kilauea change in chapter 25?

7. Why was the native riding in a canoe after Twain and the Emeline left the shore in chapter 24?

8. Which advantages did Hawaii have in producing sugar?

9. How did Twain display his awareness of the responsibility he had as a journalist when he wrote about his voyage on the Boomerang?

10. How long did it take the Hornet to burn and what did the crew do as it was burning?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Mr. Brown was Twain's traveling companion during his trip to Hawaii and gave him a chance to express more than one view about topics in his letters.

1) Describe Mr. Brown's personality and the main differences between his characteristics and Twain's characteristics.

2) Explain three examples of how Mr. Brown and Twain disagreed about a particular topic.

3) Analyze whether or not you think that Mr. Brown was a fictional character and how he allowed Twain to distance himself from the text in certain cases.

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the tragic story of the Hornet as it was presented in Twain's letter. Include Twain's main source of information, the events that caused the Hornet to catch fire, the obstacles that the crew faced on the Pacific, the integral part that the Captain had in their survival, and how the survivors were ultimately guided to the Hawaiian shore.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the problems that Twain had with horseback riding in Hawaii, using examples from his letters to support your analysis. Also, explain Twain's warning against Hawaiian horse traders and one of the stories he told about a person who was taken advantage by them

(see the answer keys)

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