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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is the boy's name?
(a) Manolin.
(b) Jose.
(c) Gabriel.
(d) Pedrico.

2. How does he get something to eat?
(a) He catches seaweed and shakes the small shrimp out of it.
(b) He eats some of the rotting sardines and hopes it does not make him sick.
(c) He puts the small line into the water and catches a tuna.
(d) He cuts a slice out of the marlin.

3. Santiago hates these sharks because they were something more than killers like the Mako shark. What is that?
(a) Man eaters.
(b) Scavengers.
(c) Ugly.
(d) Stupid.

4. His back is already hurting him, and then what begins to give him pain?
(a) The sunlight gives him a headache.
(b) His neck hurts from continually looking down at the water.
(c) His hand cramps.
(d) He cuts himself with a knife.

5. What does Santiago promise that he cannot do right at the moment?
(a) Always bring the boy with him.
(b) Get himself a larger boat.
(c) Say a hundred Our Fathers and a hundred Hail Marys.
(d) Go to church every morning.

6. How did the old man know the marlin had turned eastward?
(a) The eastern sea breezes grew stronger.
(b) His compass indicated the direction.
(c) The skiff began to go slower against the east wind.
(d) The afternoon sun was on his back.

7. How does Hemingway use Joe DiMaggio's injury to show Santiago's limited education?
(a) He thinks DiMaggio has chicken feet.
(b) He has no idea what a bone spur is.
(c) He thinks DiMaggio can poke out a catcher's eye.
(d) He pretends to know what a bone spur is.

8. What does Santiago fear if he does not sleep after two days?
(a) That the marlin will come up slowly and eat his dolphin.
(b) That he might die.
(c) That he will fall asleep and go overborad.
(d) That he will become unclear in the head.

9. How does Santiago estimate the size of the marlin?
(a) Two feet longer than the skiff.
(b) Longer than a small tree is tall.
(c) Twice as long as he is tall.
(d) Twice as long as the last marlin he caught.

10. What does Santiago mean when he says that he must think because that is all he has left?
(a) Thinking will keep him from feeling lonely without the boy there to help him.
(b) His thinking will help keep him awake after losing so much sleep.
(c) He can only survive by using the intelligence he has that sharks do not have.
(d) As long as he keeps on thinking, he knows he is still alive.

11. How does Santiago console himself after the first shark attack?
(a) That he had killed the shark.
(b) That it was all a dream.
(c) That the worst was over.
(d) That he was still alive.

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

13. What does Santiago think might have caused the fish to jump so much?
(a) Needing more exercise.
(b) Hunger or fear.
(c) Just waking up.
(d) A school of dolphins.

14. What does the tourist woman think she is seeing as she looks at the fish skeleton?
(a) A biology experiment.
(b) A fish that died of starvation.
(c) Evidence of a feast the night before.
(d) What is left of a shark.

15. When the marlin slows and is steady, Santiago finally gets some sleep. What does he dream of instead of lions?
(a) A vast school of porpoises.
(b) A flight on a plane.
(c) Cutting his hand on the fishing line.
(d) Arm wrestling with the marlin.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the old man eat to get more strength after he washed his face and hands?

2. Thinking about what the marlin can see deep in the water, how does Santiago recall his own vision years ago?

3. What effect did his movement and the hot sun during the day have on Santiago?

4. Who does Santiago say should get the head of the marlin?

5. Why do the sharks finally go away?

(see the answer keys)

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