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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. What is used to lift the boat into the water?

2. What does Uncle Mo do most of the time while the group is working on the boat?

3. What does Sophie want to fix on the boat?

4. How does Sophie's mom say that Bompie remembers his stories?

5. Who keeps yelling at Sophie to put away her journal?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Cody's journal, how does he describe his mother?

2. What does Sophie's mother do?

3. How long have Sophie's uncles wanted to sail across the ocean?

4. How does Brian act when he walks on the beach with Cody and Sophie?

5. What happens to the car in Sophie's story about Bompie?

6. What does Cody's mom tell him when he talks to her on the phone?

7. What habit of speech does Cody have that annoys most of the people on the boat?

8. What chore will Sophie have to take a turn at that she's not looking forward to?

9. What does Sophie think of the boat when she first sees it?

10. What does Frank say happened to the bait in the empty pot?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The characters argue with each other throughout the novel. Discuss the significance of arguments in the novel.

1) Why do some characters argue more than others? What causes Mo and Stew to argue? What causes Brian and Cody to argue?

2) What causes conflict and argument between Mo and Cody? What does this say about their relationship as father and son?

3) How are arguments different before the major storm, during the storm, and after the storm?

Essay Topic 2

During the journey, the characters learn about each other. Discuss learning about other people in the novel.

1) How does Sophie learn about her uncles and cousins during the journey? What affect does this have on their relationships?

2) How does Cody learn about Sophie during the journey? How does Cody respond to his cousin and to learning about her?

3) How do Cody and Mo learn about each other during the journey? How does this affect their relationship as father and son?

Essay Topic 3

Sophie's journey in "The Wanderer" is something she must do to face her fears. Discuss facing fears in "The Wanderer".

1) Why do Sophie's parents allow her to go on the journey? What does her father mean when he says it's just something she has to do?

2) Why does Sophie say that in her stories Bompie keeps going in the water because he is facing his fears?

3) What are Sophie's fears of the ocean? How does she face them though the course of the novel?

(see the answer keys)

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