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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. Which animals does the family carry from the ship with them in their improvised boat?

2. 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?

3. In Chapter 8, "The Pinnace," what creature causes a coconut to nearly hit Ernest?

4. Who thinks of eating their soup from oyster shells?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 7, "Bread," what is convenient about Jack's discovery of clay?

2. What creature does Fritz shoot in the bay, and how does Elizabeth react to this?

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

4. In Chapter 7, "Bread," what happens as a result of Ernest's discovery of manioc root?

5. In Chapter 8, "The Pinnace," what process do the narrator and his sons follow as they assemble and launch the new boat?

6. How does the family end up on a deserted island?

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

8. 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?

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

10. In Chapter 4, "Back to the Wreck," how does Elizabeth react when Jack and Ernest fail to shoot the birds when they are traveling through the tall grass?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Evaluate the ending of this book; how satisfying is the ending, and why? Use specific textual evidence as you make a case for or against the ending of the story.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay in which you evaluate this novel as a teaching tool. What are the main values that it seeks to teach, and is it successful? Are there other values that it teaches besides those that the narrator directly expresses? Are these likely to be values that audiences of the time would have endorsed, and why or why not? Be sure to use textual evidence to support your claims.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay in which you explain the publication history of this novel, including the effects of its translation into French and later translation into English. How has this book changed over the years, and what is the significance of the changes? Be sure to use specific textual evidence to support your claims and to cite in MLA format any outside resources you use in your essay.

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