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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 type of oar does Leif find in "Dream Story"?

2. In "Sliding Currents," what supplies does Leif lose after encountering the whirlpool?

3. How much bigger are blue whales than gray?

4. What does Leif think his mother would do if he could ever see her?

5. In "Dream Story," after how many days does Leif leave the ice wall?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is one way Leif learns to get across waves by studying the dolphins?

2. What prevents Leif from dying in the whirlpool in "Sliding Currents"?

3. How are all the islands connected?

4. What rhythm does Leif fall into in "Current Sliding"?

5. In "Ice," what happens when Leif comes to a small island well offshore and stays there for three days?

6. What does Leif hear and have happen when he spots a fjord in "Ice"?

7. What comes to Leif that he describes as the ghost of his mother in "Ice"?

8. In "Ice," what does Leif remember about Old Carl?

9. In "Cook Camp," what does Leif see when he wakes?

10. After being stuck in the whirlpool, how does Leif get his canoe to the shore, and what is he missing when he gets there?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Backstories are used to present information about events that happened before events in the novel. How do backstories provide insight into characters and events? What is the importance of backstories in Northwind?

Essay Topic 2

Imagery is a literary device authors use to describe something using the five senses to help readers experience what a character is experiencing. How does Paulsen use imagery to help readers imagine the world he has created in Northwind?

Essay Topic 3

Leif encounters a brown bear. Why is Leif exhausted when he makes camp? Does he accept that as an excuse when he is surprised by a bear? What does he realize about belonging because of the incident? What does he need to join with, see, learn and know? How is this a change of perspective for him?

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This section contains 981 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample