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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Speaking out loud, what does Santiago say to the big fish on his line?
(a) I'll stay with you until I'm dead!
(b) Come on up and let me get a good look at you!
(c) Fish, aren't you getting tired yet?
(d) For heaven's sake, turn around and go the other way.

2. Thinking about what the marlin can see deep in the water, how does Santiago recall his own vision years ago?
(a) He recalls being able to see in total darkness.
(b) He recalls not ever seeing well after the sun went down.
(c) He remembers that horses are blind at night.
(d) He remembers he once had night vision like a cat.

3. What promise does the old man make if he brings in the fish?
(a) He will demand that the boy's parents let him come back to him.
(b) He will make a pilgrimmage to the Virgin of Cobre.
(c) He will invite the whole village for a fish dinner.
(d) He will never go fishing again.

4. What happens after the old man harpoons the fish?
(a) The harpoon line breaks and the marlin gets away.
(b) It goes high into the air and comes back down, blinding Santiago with sea spray.
(c) The fish tries to jump into the boat with the old man.
(d) The marlin starts swimming fast and pulls the boat with him.

5. What word does Santiago utter that Hemingway says there is no translation for?
(a) Mala
(b) Ay
(c) Brisa
(d) Galanos

Short Answer Questions

1. Why doesn't Santiago put the marlin into his boat?

2. Santiago hates these sharks because they were something more than killers like the Mako shark. What is that?

3. While Santiago pulls in the small dolphin he catches on the stern line, what changes does the marlin make?

4. What does the old man speculate he could use to buy good luck?

5. What makes the flying fish jump out of the water and scatter feverishly?

Short Essay Questions

1. What significance does Santiago place on the sudden pull the fish makes on the line after swimming steadily all night long?

2. Describe the conditions during the first night after Santiago caught the big fish.

3. Describe the last moments that define the valor of the great marlin.

4. Why is the story about an old man instead of a young one?

5. When there is another bite on one of his other lines, Santiago cuts it loose. Why?

6. What new indication tells Santiago and the reader that this is a truly remarkable fish after the moonlight jump?

7. What is the bond between Santiago and the boy?

8. What does the fish do that helps revive Santiago from his weariness?

9. Discuss the physical infirmity that begins to plague Santiago on the second day at sea.

10. Discuss how Hemingway uses the man-of-war bird, the dolphins, and the flying fish to explain the nature of life in the sea.

(see the answer keys)

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