View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How is he able to clean the dolphin?
(a) By tying the line to the marlin on the thale.
(b) By using his left hand and right foot.
(c) By leaving its skin on and only removing its entrails.
(d) By using his right hand and holding it steady with his foot.

2. What does his cramped hand make Santiago think about the boy?
(a) He thinks how the boy would massage his hand.
(b) He cannot use his hand at all and the boy could take over.
(c) His hand makes a claw that he thinks the boy would find funny.
(d) He thinks the boy would remember how that had happened before.

3. What does the shadow of a passing airplane do on the surface of the sea?
(a) Bounces like a basketball.
(b) Scares up a school of flying fish.
(c) Startles Santiago.
(d) Makes the dolphins go away.

4. What does Hemingway mean when he says that the old man harpooned the shark with resolution and complete malignancy?
(a) The old man was dying of skin cancer.
(b) The old man was motivated by hate.
(c) The old man was unsure of what to do.
(d) The old man was acting out of instinct.

5. What last weapon does Santiago use against the sharks?
(a) The mast.
(b) The tiller.
(c) His fists.
(d) A broken bottle.

6. How does Santiago know that he is not dead?
(a) He feels hungry.
(b) He pinches himself.
(c) He falls down when he tries to get to the tiller.
(d) He can bring back the pain in his hands by opening and closing them.

7. What does Santiago find in the dolphin's maw when he cuts it open?
(a) Two flying fish.
(b) A fish hook.
(c) A piece of the marlin's tail.
(d) A small turtle.

8. What early indication does Santiago get that there are fish around where he is?
(a) He sees the waves get still.
(b) He sees the man-of-war bird.
(c) He sees his fishing line moving.
(d) He sees the fish shimmer in the dawn light.

9. What is the meaning of salao?
(a) A greeting.
(b) The champion.
(c) Extreme bad luck.
(d) A small room.

10. What is the one thing not beautiful about the Mako shark?
(a) His jaws.
(b) His dorsal fin.
(c) His color.
(d) His movements.

11. What does the old man call the business of getting the marlin lashed to the skiff?
(a) Slave work.
(b) Easy work.
(c) Dugout work.
(d) Boy Scout work.

12. What does Santiago like to read in the newspaper?
(a) The baseball scores.
(b) The funny pages.
(c) The racing odds.
(d) The weather forecasts.

13. After he finally gets to the shack and puts down the mast, what does Santiago find?
(a) A water bottle.
(b) His bed has been stolen.
(c) A warm beer.
(d) A newspaper with the baseball scores.

14. Santiago's respect for nature and the marlin he has on his line is profound. What does he think about the people who will eat the great fish?
(a) They are unworthy to eat him.
(b) They will refuse to eat him.
(c) They will receive some of the marlin's strength when they eat him.
(d) They will be more dignified than the marlin.

15. In great pain from the cold, what does the old man hope for?
(a) That a boat will come out and help him.
(b) That there is a cold beer waiting for him.
(c) That the wind will pick up.
(d) That he will not have to fight the sharks again.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is Santiago's plan as the fist keeps circling?

2. What does Santiago think there are people who are paid to do?

3. How many times does the old man have to stop and sit down on his way to his shack?

4. How does Santiago imagine Joe DiMaggio would be able to do what he is doing with the marlin?

5. What is the boy's reaction when the proprietor of the Terrace compliments his catch the day before?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 754 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample