View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. On their second trip out to the shipwreck, what do they discover washed up on an island?

2. What is the narrator's usual criticism of Jack?

3. What dangerous predator does Fritz shoot near their new home in the grove of trees?

4. At the beginning of Chapter 4, "Back to the Wreck," what do the narrator and Elizabeth decide their next priority should be?

5. In Chapter 7, "Bread," when Jack and Ernest follow the narrator and Fritz to the bay, what message does the narrator give them for his wife?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 8, "The Pinnace," what do Elizabeth and the narrator disagree about, and what is the outcome of their disagreement?

2. When the children are told of the decision to move to the grove of trees, what is their response and what is it an allusion to?

3. When the narrator wakes Ernest early, what is his reasoning, and how does Ernest respond?

4. What problem occurs when the family tries to launch their barrel boat, and how do they solve it?

5. How does the family observe their first Sabbath together?

6. In Chapter 9, "A Growing Menagerie," how does Ernest eventually end up owning the monkey, Knips?

7. When Fritz and the narrator feel lonely for other people, what does the narrator tell Fritz?

8. When Fritz shoots the margay, how does Ernest react, and what does the narrator tell him?

9. In Chapter 8, "The Pinnace," what has Elizabeth been doing while most of the family works on the pinnace, and what does she want the family to do next?

10. When Ernest finds oysters and salt, what is the narrator's response?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The island on which the family is shipwrecked has an astonishing capacity to support life. At one point, the children allude to the Biblical "Promised Land" (57). Write an essay in which you analyze the religious significance of the island as a "Promised Land." What does this phrase mean to Christians, and what additional meaning did it have during a time of colonial expansion? What does it likely signify about the island and the relationship of the family to their God? What does it signify about Europeans and their relationship to God?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the novel's narrative voice: how does it characterize the narrator, how would you describe the narrator's language, and how does it impact the reader's experience of the story?

Essay Topic 3

Choose a chapter of the book to evaluate for its scientific accuracy. Consider both the events and the dialogue--use the internet to investigate whether the things that happen and the scientific principles that the characters discuss are or are not accurate. Be sure to cite your sources in MLA format.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 985 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample