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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 is described in Part 3: The Parts That Really Matter, Chapter 9 as "the savvy little coxswain of what seemed to be shaping up to be the best of the JV boats"?

2. What word from Part 3: The Parts That Really Matter, Chapter 9 means noisy or clamorous?

3. When was Franklin D. Roosevelt inaugurated as President of the United States?

4. What was the name of the shell that the freshman crew raced in Poughkeepsie in 1934?

5. What was the name of the swing band that Roger Morris played with for extra money on the weekends while attending school at the University of Washington?

Short Essay Questions

1. What frustrations did Coach Al Ulbrickson face as the crews prepared for Poughkeepsie in Part 3: The Parts That Really Matter, Chapter 9?

2. What irony and symbolism can be seen in the performance of the Washington crew as they prepared for Poughkeepsie in Part 2: Resiliency, Chapter 7?

3. How does the author describe Joe Rantz's status at the University of Washington in Part 1: What Seasons They Have Been Through, Chapter 1?

4. How did George Pocock come to his association with the University of Washington?

5. How is Harry Rantz described in Part 1: What Seasons They Have Been Through, Chapter 2? What were Harry's ambitions?

6. How does the author describe the physical toll of rowing in a two-thousand-meter regatta in Part 1: What Seasons They Have Been Through, Chapter 3?

7. What were Thula's impressions of the farmhouse by the river that Harry Rantz began building in Part 1: What Seasons They Have Been Through, Chapter 4?

8. How does the author depict the changes in Joe and the other University of Washington crew members after Coach Bolles announced the final selections for the rowing team in Part 1: What Seasons They Have Been Through, Chapter 5?

9. What were the crew standings like in October of 1933 at the University of Washington? How many boys were still vying for spots on the top boats?

10. What was Ky Ebright's relationship to the University of Washington? How did this history influence his actions as coach at the University of California at Berkeley?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and analyze the actions, objectives, and obstacles of Thula Rantz in the narrative. How old was Thula when she married Harry Rantz? What attracted Thula to Harry? Was Thula happy in her marriage? Why or why not? What were Thula’s feelings about Joe?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss the design and construction of the Olympic Stadium in Berlin for the 1936 Olympics. Why do you think the author focuses on this construction? How is the setting of the Olympic Stadium juxtaposed against other settings in the narrative?

Essay Topic 3

What does “the boat” mean to Joe Rantz? How has the narrative of The Boys in the Boat changed the way you define the meaning of “the boat” in competitive rowing? How did Joe Rantz’s perception of “the boat” evolve in the course of the narrative?

(see the answer keys)

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