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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. What feeling does Steinbeck get from Estero de la Luna?
(a) That it is not a friendly place.
(b) At one with nature.
(c) That it is full of ghosts.
(d) At home and do not want to leave.

2. How does the author describe the Mexicans and Americans that they meet in Angeles Bay?
(a) They claim to be friends of Tiny and Sparky and insisted on joining them.
(b) They are easily identifiable from the tattoo that they have on their arm.
(c) They claim to be fishing but seem overly interested in what the expedition is doing and when they are leaving.
(d) They all wear straw hats and Hawaiian shirts.

3. Why does the party chose not to dock in Guaymas and instead anchor in a nearby bay?
(a) They see more marine life in the nearby bay than in Guaymas.
(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) The port fees are high because it is late in the night and they do not want to pay the fees.

4. After facing difficulties collecting specimens, what do Steinbeck and Ricketts do instead on Easter Sunday ?
(a) Steinbeck and Ricketts hire several locals to do it for them.
(b) Tex, Tiny and Sparky are tasked to catch everything that comes ashore.
(c) They place a light near the surface of the water, and catch what the light attracts.
(d) They place a big basin just near the shore and catch whatever the tide brings in.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What observations does Steinbeck note as the party sails on to the Sea of Cortez?

2. How does the expedition party react to the news they have heard in Guaymas?

3. What do the coastal Indians whom Steinbeck and Ricketts met in Puerto Escondido do?

4. What is the expedition party's last collecting stop?

5. Why is the crew unable to collect many specimens on the day following Easter Sunday?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe how life in the Western Flyer becomes by the end of March. How does it chang compared when they first sailed to sea?

2. Describe the strange experience the group has with the Americans and the Mexicans they encounter in Angeles Bay.

3. Steinbeck and Ricketts willingly accept the offer to go on a big sheep-hunting expedition even though it is apparent that they do not have the desires to hunt any creature. Give a probable explanation as to why the two readily agreed to the invitation in the first place.

4. Explain Steinbeck's theory on how man can improve himself and the human race if only he studies certain cycles in civilization.

5. When the group is discussing the activities of the Japanese dredge boats and trawlers, Steinbeck contradicts himself from his earlier position on food wastage. What is Steinbeck's new position on the food wastage?

6. Tiny harpoons stingrays at the island of Tiburon. Give probable explanations to Tiny's seemingly attachment to harpoons. Cite specific examples in the book to support this explanation.

7. Describe Guardian Angel Island and how the crew takes to it. What were the feelings of the crew while they were on the island?

8. Discuss Steinbeck's lamentations on the briefness of their expedition, and how he wished that they have brought full-sized aquariums.

9. Briefly explain Steinbeck's thoughts about a place being friendly or unfriendly. What instances led him to these thoughts?

10. Near Guaymas, the crew feel a little contempt over the fact that the fishermen they see are too spotless in their white outfits. Explain briefly the circumstances and why the crew feel such contempt.

(see the answer keys)

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