View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does he look for as a gift for his daughter?

2. How does Lt. Sunderstrom go ashore at Elliott Bay?

3. Where do the pinpoint the location of the Seattle transmission?

4. What living thing will outlast people by about a year?

5. How long do they estimate Swain will live?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain the surprise Moira has for Dwight when they meet for lunch.

2. What has Moira managed to locate that makes Dwight happy enough to drift off to sleep?

3. Explain Dwight's change of status on the return trip from the north.

4. How is John Osbourne different in the face of coming death?

5. How is Moira changing from thinking planting plants for the next year is a silly waste of time?

6. Why is Dwight upset over a painting at the National Gallery?

7. How does being in the submarine compare to racing the Ferrari to John?

8. Why do things begin to slow down in Melbourne?

9. What does John Osbourne tell Peter when he asks about how much more time they have?

10. What is Mary's initial reaction to the suicide pills and syringe?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about the pointlessness of using alcohol or drugs to avoid facing realities. Mention how people in the novel first started having boisterous parties with lots of alcohol consumption but later realized that it was not helping to solve the problem. Turn you essay to people who attempt to use mind altering substances as a way of dealing with problems of a much smaller scale than the extreme problem of ON THE BEACH.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay on suicide as a way of avoiding an otherwise very painful death. Include the moral aspects of suicide in general and explain whether or not you think there may be extenuating circumstances that make suicide acceptable.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay about optimism as the mirror image of denial. Express the difference between optimism and denial. Give examples from the novel that indicate an optimism that something might happen to prevent the approaching radiation cloud from reaching Melbourne.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 619 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample