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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. After the war Hatsue learned to live with

2. Carl Heine and Susan Marie Heine's marriage was a relationship based on

3. When Hooks excuses Hatsue, she is prevented from

4. Ishmael had always pretended that his visits to his mother's home

5. How did Carl Heine, Jr. die?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Guterman get so graphic about the sex lives of Carl and Susan Marie Heine?

2. What, ultimately, could have been Carl Heine's greatest failing, according to Ishmael?

3. What is peculiar about islanders and their relationships?

4. What effect does the power outage have on the ambiance in the courtroom?

5. What is Alvin Hooks' motivation in trying to convict Kabuo? How would winning the case benefit Nels Gudmundsson?

6. How does the author foreshadow a turn of events in the trial?

7. Describe Ishmael's experience as he views the devastation from the storm, the sunken docks and ravaged town. What does it mean?

8. What is the reason for Art Moran's visit to Judge Lew Fielding in this chapter?

9. Learning that Carl has kept Kabuo's fishing rod all these years suggests that Kabuo might be telling the truth? Explain this.

10. The idea of inclement weather has been woven throughout the story, including the heavy snowfall that has caused problems during the trial of Kabuo Miyamoto. What inspires Ishmael's decision to check with the coast guard about weather conditions at the time of Carl Heine's demise?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

World War II was devastating in so many ways. Although this story is not a war story, the war and its effects are threaded throughout, affecting everyone in San Piedro Island. Write an essay, choosing three characters, and expand on the ways that the war affects their lives, their decisions, their thinking and their actions.

Essay Topic 2

In this story, Tom Peck raises blue foxes on his island farm. Is blue fox still raised today? If so, for what is it used and how? Is it endangered? Research and write about the current state of the blue fox - where they live, what they eat, their predators and if they are under the control of humans. Include a photo or other image with your report.

Essay Topic 3

What did you learn about the legal system from this book, if anything? Guterson portrays the trial as fairly routine, with opening statements, examination and cross examination of witnesses, closing arguments, jury instructions and verdict. Look up the term "legal discovery" on the web, and determine how things have changed in our legal system since 1942. Is our system more efficient now? If so, in what ways? If not, in what ways? Are we more sophisticated in our legal process than before?

(see the answer keys)

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