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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. Why did Moitessier decide to sail close to South Africa?

2. What did Moitessier think the porpoises were trying to tell him as he passed New Zealand?

3. What did Moitessier decide to do after passing Tasmania?

4. How much water did Moitessier capture after rounding the Cape of Good Hope?

5. What mechanical device did Moitessier use to make his more involved repairs?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Moitessier's voyage after rounding the Cape of Good Hope.

2. What was Moitessier's reason for stopping in Trinidad?

3. What chore could Moitessier only perform in calm weather?

4. What legend did Moitessier think about after his incident with the porpoises?

5. What were conditions like when Moitessier approached the Cape Agulhas lighthouse, and did he accomplish what he set out to do by approaching land?

6. Describe Moitessier's interaction with a ship in Walker Bay, South Africa.

7. Describe the fish that followed Moitessier's boat.

8. Describe Moitessier's sailing experience in a junk.

9. Describe the harbor where Moitessier arrived in Trinidad.

10. What was Moitessier fantasizing about as Christmas approached?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What was the cultural atmosphere of England in 1968, and what were the cultural reasons that would lead Moitessier or any other person to want to be alone on a boat, braving the elements, in order to get away from that civilization? Describe the historical context for Moitessier's entry into the race.

Essay Topic 2

What does Moitessier's book tell us about nature and wildlife and man's and society's place in the natural world? Is Moitessier arguing for a particular view of man's place? What view is he arguing against? If he is not arguing for a particular view, what gives his narrative coherence?

Essay Topic 3

Moitessier has a number of dreams and imaginings during the course of his trip. Do his dreams reveal conflicts that are not resolved in his waking life? Does Moitessier seem to be self-integrated, or is he hiding things from himself?

(see the answer keys)

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