View a FREE sample

This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Detailed Summary & Analysis.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is a favorite topic of conversation for Santiago and the boy?
(a) Baseball.
(b) Spear fishing.
(c) Drinking beer.
(d) Travel.

2. What does the old man fear since the shark had taken about forty pounds of flesh off the marlin?
(a) That he would not win a prize for catching the largest marlin.
(b) That people would think he had eaten part of his catch.
(c) That fishermen would say he found the marlin dead and floating in the water.
(d) That there would soon be other sharks.

3. What does Santiago imagine was the reason the fish finally jumped?
(a) To see what manner of man he was fighting with.
(b) To get some air.
(c) To see if the hook would fall out.
(d) To show him how big he was.

4. Why does the old man never jerk on the line?
(a) Each jerk widens the cut the hook makes and with a jump the fish might throw it off.
(b) His hand is too cramped up to jerk on the line.
(c) It would take away too much of his own strength.
(d) A jerk on the line might make the fish pull him overboard.

5. What does the old man speculate he could use to buy good luck?
(a) The glow of the city lights on the shore.
(b) A lost harpoon, a broken knife, and two bad hands.
(c) The bones of the marlin.
(d) Another 84 days of bad luck.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does Santiago tell the fish not to jump?

2. Why does Santiago always dream about lions?

3. How does the old man know the winds will blow all night?

4. What word does Santiago utter that Hemingway says there is no translation for?

5. After killing the Mako shark, what is Santiago aware of as missing?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 389 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample