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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. How long does it take for Dirk to get the helicopter the Martha Ann is carrying from a cold start into the air?

2. How many distress signals have been received from ships that have gone down where the Starbuck is last reported?

3. What accounts for the ocean turning a greenish color as the Martha Ann approaches the shallower water of the seamount?

4. Why does Dirk stop to talk to George Papaaloa?

5. What is Dirk's official professional title?

Short Essay Questions

1. Dirk describes a few incidents he has known in his work that "smacked of Jules Verne." Describe them and discuss Dirk's attitude towards "ghost catching."

2. Acting on a hunch, Dirk goes to the Polynesian history museum to visit a friend well versed in the history and culture of the Hawaiian and Pacific Islands. Why?

3. Why is ADM Hunter taking the step of having Dirk detailed officially to the 101st Salvage Fleet?

4. Why is LT March so resistant to the idea of entering the submarine?

5. Capt. Cinana quotes a Naval saying: "Those that lie deep in the Atlantic Sea Are recalled by shrines, wreathes and poetry, But those who lie in Pacific Sea Lie forgotten for all eternity." What does this mean?

6. What is the significance of the Lillie Marlene?

7. What are some ways the Pacific Vortex is different from the Bermuda Triangle and other legendary danger areas?

8. How are the dead bodies described on the Lillie Marlene? How does this description contribute to the myth of the Pacific Vortex?

9. What is the significance of there not being any paper in the crew's lounge area of the Starbuck?

10. Dirk notes some distinct oddities about the Starbuck's final resting place and the condition. Describe what these oddities mean.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

"Willing suspension of disbelief" is a necessary frame of mind for any reader or viewer of fiction material. However, in spite of accepting certain fantastic occurrences, readers will often begin to resist small strains on their credulity. Why does this kind of resistance begin to build in the mind of the reader? Analyze the concept of "willing suspension of disbelief" and why it is necessary to enjoy the book. Analyze your own responses to "unbelievable" parts of the book.

Essay Topic 2

Singularly absent from the entire book is any elaboration on these "men from the sea." The closest explanation of any aspect of them is Dirk's comments: "Even your hired help wander around like robots" and "your entire organization is built on blind obedience to you [Delphi]." There is no comment on where they came from, who they were, or what kind of man might have volunteered to abandon his above-sea life to have a gill surgically attached to his chest and become a mass murderer. Analyze the concept of this underwater army and who they are, or might have been.

Essay Topic 3

ADM Sandecker tells Dirk, "an enemy agent wouldn't have to use muscle [on you]. They'd simply send their most seductive Mata Hari to the nearest bar and let you pick her up." What does this statement mean and what is the inference being made about Dirk's character? Analyze this statement in the context of all you know about the character of Dirk Pitt. Does it seem to be a fair or consistent statement? Provide evidence from the book to support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,197 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample