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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. How many crews competed for the right to go to Berlin's 1936 Olympics in Princeton?

2. Who was the coxswain for Navy at the Olympic trials in 1936?

3. What lake is used by Princeton University's rowing team?

4. On what date did the University of Washington crew members depart on the train for Poughkeepsie in 1936?

5. What film studio came to shoot newsreel of the University of Washington rowing crew as they practiced in January of 1936?

Short Essay Questions

1. What ship did the University of Washington crew take to Europe for the 1936 Summer Olympics? How is the setting of the ship described?

2. What conflicts arose in the U.S. and other countries regarding Germany hosting the 1936 Summer Olympics? How were these conflicts resolved?

3. Whom did Joe Rantz befriend while working at the Grand Coulee Dam site? How are these individuals described by the author?

4. How did fans and reporters respond when Al Ulbrickson made the decision to pull the sophomore team from the varsity lineup at Poughkeepsie in 1935?

5. How and why was the 1936 invasion by the Nazis into Rhineland significant to Adolf Hitler's cause and objectives?

6. How was the necessary money raised for the crew from the University of Washington to attend the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin?

7. Where did Joe Rantz live while working at the Grand Coulee Dam site? How is this setting described?

8. How does the author describe the University of Washington crew's performance at the regatta in Poughkeepsie in 1936?

9. How does the author describe the whitewashing that took place in Berlin prior to the 1936 Summer Olympics in Part 4: Touching the Divine, Chapter 16?

10. What function does Part 4: Touching the Divine, Chapter 18 serve in the plot structure of The Boys in the Boat? How?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the technical aspects of competitive rowing. How many oarsmen are in a racing vessel? Who steers the boat? Who sets the pace for the rowers? What are the common distances of regattas today?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Discuss the backdrop of the Great Depression in The Boys in the Boat. When did the Great Depression hit in America? What were the impacts of the Great Depression on Joe Rantz’s life? How did the Great Depression influence the perceptions of Americans during the 1936 Olympics?

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