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

2. What argument does Summer use to convince Delphi not to shoot Al and Dirk inside the seamount?

3. Why does Delphi let SN Farris live?

4. What does Dirk direct should be done to the Starbuck's torpedo room as they escape?

5. Where is Delphi's transmitter that allows him to jam radio signals?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What is Delphi's plan for the Starbuck?

3. 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?

4. What does Dirk fear lays in store for the Martha Ann? What information is he now armed with that may help? What does he still not know that could be fatal?

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

6. When Dirk discovers LCDR Boland has been stabbed with a spear, he decides the spear must come out. What is standard first aid procedure for puncture/impalement wounds and why and how does Dirk deviate from it?

7. 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?

8. What are ADM Hunter and Dirk Pitt's differing opinions on Adrian?

9. In both Chapters 9 and 10, Dirk endeavors to get his way by assuring the Naval men that he "will take full responsibility." Why does this seem to be the easiest way for Dirk to gain their compliance?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Quote from CDR Burdette Denver: "Piracy on the high seas went out with the manufacture of cutlasses." Is this actually a true statement? Is piracy a possible or probable explanation for the Pacific Vortex? Provide evidence both from the book and from independent research to support your claims.

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

Pacific Vortex! is the first Dirk Pitt novel Clive Cussler wrote (even though it is published much later, after several other Pitt adventures) and indeed it shows signs of being a novice attempt. The character development is somewhat sporadic, there are questions or plot mysteries that are later left unanswered and some scenes that almost seem extraneous which are only loosely tied together by the final explanation. Characterize some of these "novice" elements using firm examples from the book. At the end, is there anything you wondered, "yes, but what about...?" How could Cussler have woven these plot threads or characters more tightly into the fabric of the story?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,291 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample