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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. Where was the Ship seen abandoned in Book Two?

2. Which of the following does Erasmus eat that is in the shape of a black woman?

3. What is the sacred hunger?

4. What frightened Paris's wife?

5. What does the slave boy whom Paris accompanies purchase on shore?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Mrs. Kemp deny that her husband committed suicide?

2. What conflict does Erasmus come upon in Book Two, Part Eight?

3. How does Mrs. Kemp change after her husband's death?

4. Describe the story of the trees as told by Paris and Kenka.

5. Do you find Thurso's action of throwing slaves overboard surprising? Why or why not?

6. How does the syntax change in Book Two, Part Nine?

7. Tell the story about the monkey that Cavana buys on the ship. What is the monkey's fate?

8. What sort of effect does Wolpert realize Erasmus has on Sarah?

9. Explain "the sacred hunger". What is the narrator referring to by using that phrase?

10. What decision does Erasmus make in Book One, Part Seven, following his father's death?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Identify the climax of this story and the series of events leading up to it. How did characters respond to the climax? What did Unsworth include in his story to insure that the climax would be as powerful and meaningful as possible?

Essay Topic 2

How does Unsworth incorporate the concept of man versus self in his novel? Which character do you think is the best example of man versus self and why?

Essay Topic 3

The Liverpool Merchant is a significant part of Unsworth's story. What does the ship symbolize? What similarities can you give between the Ship and characters' qualities, or the events in the book?

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