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

2. When the tree house is proposed, what is the narrator's response?

3. Who is the original author of The Swiss Family Robinson?

4. What creatures does Jack mistake for "little people" (103)?

5. What does the family name "Falconhurst"?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. When the narrator finally agrees to build a treehouse, what does he say he will do with their original camping site?

3. 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?

4. What is convenient about the discovery of the dead shark's body?

5. Describe the incident at the bridge in Chapter 7, "Bread," when the narrator and Fritz are surprised by Jack and Ernest.

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

7. On the second morning, why are the dogs afraid of Fritz, and how does he win them over?

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

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

10. When the narrator and Fritz go exploring for the first time and are walking through the grass, what animal surprises them, and how do they react?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Readers often react negatively to the variety of animal-based foods that the family eats while on the island. How much of this reaction is cultural? Write an essay in which you discuss the likely response of a European audience of the early nineteenth century, using internet research to support your claims about what Europeans of this time were accustomed to eating and what their attitude to novel food sources would likely have been. Be sure to cite your sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay in which you analyze the value of the island in this story as a microcosm of the larger world. In what ways does it resemble the larger world, and in what ways is it an imperfect allegory for the world itself? Be sure to use textual evidence to support your claims.

Essay Topic 3

What is the purpose of offering moments of humor in a didactic novel? Write an essay that evaluates the use of humor in this novel and offers a theory about the relationship of this humor to the novel's purpose as a teaching tool. Be sure to offer textual support for your claims. If you use outside resources in your discussion of the didactic novel, be sure to cite your sources in MLA format.

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