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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who is the chef of the expedition?
(a) Tony.
(b) There is no chef mentioned in the story.
(c) Sea-Cow.
(d) Tex.

2. What limitation does the expedition party have that is particular to their voyage?
(a) They have a limited supply of food and drinks, and medicine, too.
(b) They only have six weeks to complete their entire voyage, on top of constraints presented by the tides.
(c) They can only sail in the morning because their light is not as powerful as those of the other voyages.
(d) They have only a small crew compared to other voyages with dozens of crew on board.

3. What is the concept explored by the author in the section that pertains to boats and men?
(a) The way men choose their boats, their colors, and the length.
(b) The personification of a boat by a man and the identification of men with their boats.
(c) How men become unreasonable when it comes to their boats.
(d) The way men treat their boats like they treat their wives.

4. What instrument does Raul use, which Steinbeck and Ricketts buy from him?
(a) A knife.
(b) A harpoon.
(c) A gun.
(d) A bow and arrow.

5. Who is the captain of the ship for the expedition?
(a) A World War I veteran.
(b) Ed Ricketts.
(c) Tony Berry.
(d) John Steinbeck.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Steinbeck compare navigation at sea to life?

2. What does the expedition party do on their first night at sea?

3. What does the expedition party do on March 22, Good Friday?

4. What is the author's description of Espiritu Santo Island?

5. What difficulty does the expedition party encounter when they were collecting specimen in Cabo San Lucas?

Short Essay Questions

1. Briefly explain how Steinbeck explains teleological and non-teleological thinking. Relate the two on the previous discussion about employment and unemployment.

2. What is Steinbeck's theory on the origin of the name of a certain place? What was the origin of Steinbeck's musings?

3. What difference does this particular expedition have over the other travels? Why is this so?

4. Briefly state the discussions made by Steinbeck and Ricketts on different ways of thinking, particularly looking at the society and the balance that is maintained all the time, as specified by their given example on employment.

5. Describe the Sea-Cow and how did it get its name? How does the expedition party relate to it? Does the expedition party treat the Sea-Cow fairly?

6. Build on Steinbeck's theory of why the expedition members do not want to catch and cook porpoises.

7. Tiny and Sparky are described as almost two halves of one person. Make some speculations on their appearance and characters in general.

8. How does Steinbeck compare staying on course at sea to achieving a goal in life?

9. The expedition party reaches the town of San Lucas. Describe the town as mentioned by Steinbeck, and add your own theories on how the town looks and feels like.

10. Explain Steinbeck's remark on the contrast between Tiny's reaction to the death of the sea turtle and that of a scientist's.

(see the answer keys)

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