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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. What is Delphi's relationship to Frederick Moran?

2. What two scientists does Dirk report to when he arrives at Pearl Harbor after the attack in his hotel room?

3. What does "noncom" mean as it is used in the beginning of Chapter 10?

4. Where does Dirk land the helicopter after evacuating the Martha Ann?

5. Who arrives on the comm deck as Dirk is communicating to the Martha Ann and LCDR Boland?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does LT Robert Buckmaster discover at the old Army installation, which supposedly belongs to Delphi that partially explains the entirely unexpected fierce resistance to Marine's invasion? How might this situation have come to be?

2. What changes ADM Hunter's mind about obeying the destroy orders from the joint Chiefs in Washington D.C.?

3. What does Delphi say is his main objective? What does Dirk say is Delphi's main objective?

4. Who or what is Selma Snoop?

5. Besides Dirk's lost love, what does Summer represent to the Navy and why would it have been important to rescue her?

6. How does LCDR Crowhaven's attitude change from his frame of mind on the plane, once he is within sight of the submarine and Dirk lets him know that this is where he [Dirk] gets off?

7. How do Dirk and LCDR Boland differ over how to wage battle against the men from the sea as they face impending attack on the Martha Ann?

8. How does LCDR Crowhaven get in touch with Pearl Harbor in spite of Delphi's lock on their radio transmissions? What is the code he uses to communicate with ADM Hunter over the open wires?

9. What is unexpected and distinctly suspicious about the fog that suddenly overwhelms the Martha Ann? What kinds of conditions are required to create fog?

10. Why does Dirk flood the Starbuck's torpedo compartment?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examined carefully, the association between Dirk's reason for visiting to the Polynesian history museum and George Papaaloa's story of Kanoli is slightly obscure except as a plot mechanism. There is nothing Papaaloa relates in the story of Kanoli to suggest that it is related to the Pacific Vortex. The relevance of this revelation seems somewhat abstract. This is especially true since the Vortex has only been "operational" for about 40 years. Rewrite this episode using the essence of the legend of Kanoli as it stands but add elements that allow the two stories to appear related, making the transition from one to the other more smoothly.

Essay Topic 2

Carefully analyze the "real" condition of the Starbuck with respect to international maritime law. Whose waters is she sitting in and who can rightfully claim her? How do the laws of maritime salvage govern this kind of at-sea loss? Most importantly, how does this contribute to the urgency and top-secretiveness in the plot?

Essay Topic 3

Dirk refers to the salvage operations on the Thresher, the Bluefin, the Scorpion, and the submarine F-4. What are these boats or ships and what happened to them? How are they relevant to the sinking (and raising) of the Starbuck?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,180 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample