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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 author imply about messages in bottles?

2. Where did Garrett and Catherine run into each other upon his return to Wilmington?

3. When the course is set during their first voyage together, what does Garrett show Theresa?

4. Who calls when Garrett is going through paperwork the day following his first date with Theresa?

5. What does Garrett think about when preparing for his first voyage with Theresa?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Theresa think publishing the letter is morally wrong?

2. How do Garrett and Theresa meet the second time?

3. What were the two main uses of messages in a bottle throughout the years?

4. How did Catherine die?

5. What surprises await Theresa when she returns to work on Monday following the publication of the message?

6. What is Theresa's plan when she arrives in Wilmington?

7. What do Garrett and his dad have in common?

8. How did Garrett and Catherine meet?

9. What story did the prologue reveal about messages in bottles?

10. Why does Deanna try to convince Theresa to find Garrett?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why is Theresa so eager to get a commitment from Garrett even after such a short amount of time? Do you think her reading the letters cloud her judgment toward Garrett? Whom do you think Theresa wants the commitment with: the Garrett of the letters or the man she just met? Use the novel to support your statements.

Essay Topic 2

In the first letter written by Garrett to Catherine, Garrett discusses his dream about her. Discuss the symbolism that dreams can carry and how the author uses dreams to deepen Garrett's character traits. Define symbolism in the essay and use examples from the text to support your statements.

Essay Topic 3

"Message in a Bottle" expresses humanity's capacity for love and relationships, but love and life appear simultaneously in the novel, revealing the human condition and human frailty. Discuss the motif of love in "Message in a Bottle," analyzing how love can be both destructive and regenerating.

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