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

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is rowing when the lighthouse comes into view?

2. How does the object in Part 2 taunt the men?

3. Why do the oiler and correspondent sit on the same seat?

4. Why is the correspondent unable to see the lighthouse?

5. What do the intruders finally do?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the captain doing in Part 1?

2. What does the captain advise the others to do at the end of Part 3?

3. What thoughts do the four men refrain from sharing at the beginning of Part 6?

4. How does the correspondent feel about the recalled story now?

5. How does the correspondent show great character in Part 5?

6. What does the sight of the lighthouse do to the four men?

7. Why is the correspondent unable to see the lighthouse?

8. What happens after the sail is constructed, and how do the four men feel about it?

9. What do the four men see near the end of Part 4?

10. What is the result of the four men going without sleep for two days and nights?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the significance of the story that the correspondent recalls about the Legionnaire who died in Algiers? How does this contribute to the book as a whole?

Essay Topic 2

What role does nature play in this book? How do the four men view nature? In what ways can Nature be seen as a character in "The Open Boat"?

Essay Topic 3

How is the setting of "The Open Boat" significant? What would change if the story were set in a different location?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 625 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample