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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How does the expedition party scare the shark that was circling their their boat?
(a) They scare it by throwing sticks at it.
(b) They scare it with a pistol shot.
(c) They scare it by throwing some soiled shirts to the sea.
(d) They scare it by playing loud music.

2. How does Tiny spend his time on the island of Tiburon?
(a) Cooking meals for the other members of the expedition.
(b) Labeling and sorting the specimens collected by the other crew members.
(c) Cleaning the outboard motor to ensure better performance in the next run.
(d) Taking the skiff to the little inlets to harpoon stingrays.

3. What does the party find in Angeles Bay?
(a) They find that it was closed to tourists and voyagers and they had to return to sea immediately.
(b) They find another expedition party heading to the same destination like them.
(c) They find that there are a dozen men who want to be part of their team.
(d) There seems to be an unknown settlement with a very odd sense of something strange going on.

4. What does the expedition party use instead of the tide chart to watch the rise and fall of the tides?
(a) A marked stick.
(b) Ricketts' compass.
(c) A sailor's watch.
(d) Steinbeck's journal.

5. What specific food does the crew fight about, leading them to decide to stop making it?
(a) Apple pies.
(b) Lemon pies.
(c) Blueberry pies.
(d) Strawberry pies.

6. What does Steinbeck lament about that is in connection with persistence of beliefs and actual happenings?
(a) That a good hypothesis can blind a person to alternative theories and even to actual data that could disprove it.
(b) That actual happenings are always distorted to give way to more controversial beliefs.
(c) That persistence of beliefs can actually lead to actual happenings.
(d) That actual happenings are actually the basis of many persistent beliefs.

7. Why does the crew have a hard time handling a particular sea cucumber?
(a) Because that sea cucumber has a habit of expelling its insides when taken out of water.
(b) Because that sea cucumber has a very foul smell, making the crew unable to come near it.
(c) Because that sea cucumber had a lot of thorns, unusual for its kind.
(d) Because that sea cucumber has a very strange skin that was so slippery.

8. Why does the party chose not to dock in Guaymas and instead anchor in a nearby bay?
(a) The port fees are high because it is late in the night and they do not want to pay the fees.
(b) They do not want the town to know that they have arrived.
(c) They are suspicious of a man they see walking along the port.
(d) They see more marine life in the nearby bay than in Guaymas.

9. How many giant sea turtles does the group catch on April 11 in Agiabampo?
(a) Three.
(b) One.
(c) Two.
(d) None.

10. On Easter Sunday, despite facing difficulties collecting specimens, Steinbeck and Ricketts are able to catch a significant marine life - what is it?
(a) A shiny, white porpoise.
(b) A small, printed seahorse.
(c) A large, century old turtle.
(d) A large, beautiful lobster.

11. What are the fishermen heading out to work complaining about early in the morning on April 8th?
(a) A Japanese businessman who is buying all the fish at half the price.
(b) A big sea vessel that kills all the sea turtles.
(c) A noisy dog that scares all the fish away.
(d) Some Japanese trawlers that are taking all the shrimp.

12. How does Steinbeck see the history of the human race?
(a) It is totally unpredictable and without pattern.
(b) It is not a linear progression, but as a series of bursts of nervous energy.
(c) It is a very logical and predictable progression.
(d) It is a series of bursts of nervous energy.

13. Where in Puerto Refugio does the expedition party collect specimens?
(a) They go to the edge of Puerto Refugio and wait for the tide to go down before collecting specimens.
(b) They do not find any place to collect anything from.
(c) They find an area with abundant tidepools and this is where they collect specimens.
(d) They took a small boat to go to the island near Puerto Refugio.

14. What actually happens to Tex's weight in the face of the crew's attempt to put him on a diet?
(a) He loses ten pounds after only five days of dieting.
(b) He gets sick and loses more than ten pounds.
(c) He gains a few pounds by sneaking food at every opportunity.
(d) He develops bulimia and the crew is regretful.

15. From his philosophical discussions, what does Steinbeck suddenly suggest?
(a) That they find the next town and sell all the specimen they have collected.
(b) That they divide the specimen they have collected and return them all to sea.
(c) That they all try to write their ideas in the log so as to continue discussing it when back at home.
(d) That they sail all day down an uncharted coastline toward their last planned stop, and anchor offshore as night falls.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which statement best describes Guaymas?

2. What does Sparky accidentally do on April 3?

3. What does the expedition party do in the morning of March 30?

4. How does the life on the boat change as they get nearer the Sea of Cortez?

5. How does the author describe the Mexicans and Americans that they meet in Angeles Bay?

(see the answer keys)

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