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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. What is Jack jealous of?

2. What large assignment has Agnis negotiated?

3. What does Herry perform?

4. Why did Mr Nightingale cancel his classified ad?

5. What happened to the old lighthouse?

Short Essay Questions

1. What secret is exposed during the visit to St John's?

2. What are the implied advantages of the green house?

3. In what way is Quoyle's discovery of the body important to the narrative?

4. In what ways are contrasts important in Chapter 36 of The Shipping News?

5. In what way is the short scene involving his bath important to our understanding of Quoyle's inner journey?

6. Contrast the growing relationship between Quoyle and Wavey with that each experienced with their previous partners.

7. What is Quoyle's response to Billy Pretty's skepticism about him?

8. Comment on the reception given Quoyle's piece about oil tankers.

9. In what ways are descriptions of interior environment, specifically the Heavy weather bar and the Burke house, connected to the characters of Quoyle and Tert Card in Chapter 34?

10. Comment on the destruction of the green house on the point.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

THE SHIPPING NEWS is a novel that successfully presents a web of sub-plots. Of the sub-plots in the novel, identify and discuss two.

1) What functions do these sub-plots perform in the novel? Do they support the main narrative stream, complement it or provide contrast?

2) Do you consider that sub-plots enrich our enjoyment of narrative texts?

Essay Topic 2

All human beings need to have a sense of belonging to a group or a place. Without that, they can feel rootless, bereft.

Discuss the way in which the theme of 'belonging' is explored in THE SHIPPING NEWS.

Focus on three characters and their quest to belong.

Are there characters who do not follow such a quest? Who are these characters and why do you think they are different?

Essay Topic 3

'Someone breaking free of the past.'

1) What kind of past is Quoyle breaking fee of and how does he achieve this?

2) Consider Agnis' past and its association with Quoyle's Point. How is she able to surmount the hideous experiences of her childhood?

Discuss with close reference to the novel.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,172 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample