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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 does the narrator think that it is a good idea to keep rabbits on Whale Island?

2. In Chapter 16, "A Winged Steed," what creature becomes the family's "winged steed"?

3. In Chapter 13, "Unpleasant Tasks," what does the narrator use to teach their new birds how to find their way home?

4. In Chapter 17, "Bounty and Peril," the family works at "threshing" and "winnowing" a crop (268). What does this mean that they are doing?

5. In Chapter 15, "We Explore Inland," what new creature does Ernest discover and kill a great number of?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 12, "Anniversary," how does the narrator begin the athletic competition, and what is this incident intended to demonstrate about his character?

2. In Chapter 13, "Unpleasant Tasks," what reactions does the family have to the dead whale?

3. In Chapter 15, "We Explore Inland," how does Ernest kill the muskrats, and what does he intend to do with them?

4. In Chapter 17, "Bounty and Peril," what new method of skinning animals does the narrator devise, and why does he feel it is necessary?

5. In Chapter 13, "Unpleasant Tasks," what happens to Jack in the swamp?

6. In Chapter 14, "A Casualty," why does the narrator not take the pinnace to explore beyond Cape Disappointment?

7. In Chapter 10, "Changing Seasons," how does the family bring water to Falconhurst?

8. In Chapter 12, "Anniversary," how does Franz end up with a large animal to take care of and train?

9. In Chapter 17, "Bounty and Peril," when the boys return from hunting, what does Jack say about hunting with the ostrich, and what is the narrator's reply?

10. In Chapter 16, "A Winged Steed," what is Elizabeth's first reaction to the ostrich, and what does Jack tell her in reply?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In what way does this novel illustrate the values of the author's culture? Use both textual evidence and outside sources to analyze the novel as a reflection of late-eighteenth-century Swiss values. Cite your sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

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?

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