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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. In Chapter 10, "Changing Seasons," who adopts Fritz's jackal puppy?

2. In Chapter 10, "Changing Seasons," what does Ernest train Knips to do?

3. In Chapter 14, "A Casualty," what creature does the narrator cause to tow the pinnace to shore?

4. What fortunate discovery does Jack make while they are hollowing out a cave from the rock?

5. In Chapter 16, "A Winged Steed," what does the family name the new mount?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 18, "Repairs and Fortifications," what do the boys find has happened at Prospect Hill, and what is their response?

2. In Chapter 11, "Our Estates," what are the improvements that the family makes to the cave before they move in?

3. In Chapter 14, "A Casualty," what dirty job does the family undertake, and what does it cause Elizabeth to suggest?

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

5. In Chapter 12, "Anniversary," how do Jack and Fritz wake the family, and how do their parents respond?

6. In Chapter 10, "Changing Seasons," how does the narrator explain grafting to his sons?

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

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

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

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

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 answer the following questions--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: What is "Christian husbandry," and in what way does the novel reflect the principles of Christian husbandry?

Essay Topic 3

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.

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