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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 did Keaty have the worst time?

2. What color was the watermark strip when it dipped below the ocean?

3. What color or shade did the sand become the further the group had swum?

4. What kind of person was the group looking for to ferry them close to the beach?

5. What element led the main character to fantasize that his bed was a space ship?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why had Richard initially begun traveling?

2. How was it that Sal was the leader?

3. Why did Richard's reflection come as quite a shock?

4. What explanation did Richard offer for the shape of the island on which the Beach was located?

5. Why did it surprise Richard that he had volunteered to go for the Rice Run?

6. What had made Jed's day bad?

7. What gave the illusion of a confined personal area, and how was the effect spoiled?

8. How did Richard feel when he had touched the walls in the room?

9. Why did Richard feel as though he was governed by someone else in retrospect?

10. What did Etienne notice about the dope that they had found on the island?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Jed's reconnaissance missions for Sal. Why do you think he was given these missions? Would they contribute to Jeds' alienation from the rest of the camp, or is his alienation the result of his own doing? Explain your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Discern a reason why Richard suddenly seemed to have a lack of interest in Francoise towards the end of the novel. Compare the amount of time Richard chooses to reflect upon Francoise and think about her towards the end of the novel. How might this be considered a precursor for his own downfall?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Sal's descent from leader to dictator. Was it likely that the rest of the camp understood or noticed the change in Sal? How or why not? Hypothesize on whether or not this had an impact on the commune's downfall.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 947 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample