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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 Sophie's story, how does Bompie get back to Kentucky after his visit to the ocean?

2. Where does the crew of The Wanderer go to get food once they arrive on land?

3. When the winds pick up, what do the sailors do to the mainsail?

4. When Cody first thinks he spots land, what does it turn out to be?

5. Why does Sophie keep waking up Cody?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do Sophie and Cody do to the sails of the boat, when they finally get them up again?

2. What happens in the altercation between Sophie and Brian?

3. How does Sophie feel about the ham radio?

4. What injury does Cody sustain in the large wave that hits the boat?

5. How does Cody describe the fog on the ocean journey?

6. What happens to Bompie in the story of the swimming hole?

7. As Dock tells his story of the little girl, what does Cody realize about Sophie's stories?

8. What does Sophie hear when Cody is actually asking about her harness?

9. What settles the argument about where Bompie should live?

10. When the family comes to visit Bompie, how does he react?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The Wanderer deals with dangerous situations, and the characters all face death. Discuss the life-and-death struggles in the novel.

1) How do the characters change when they're faced with life-and-death situations? How does Cody change? How does Sophie change? How do the uncles change?

2) How do the characters respond differently to danger toward themselves and toward others?

3) What do life-and-death encounters reveal about the characters' relationships? How do characters' relationships change during the life-and-death struggle of the storm?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

One of Sophie's primary personality traits is curiosity. Discuss Sophie's curiosity.

1) Why is Sophie curious about every new thing she encounters? Why does she ask so many questions?

2) Why does Sophie imagine living the lifestyles of new people she meets? What does imagining different lives do for Sophie?

3) How is Sophie's curiosity and enthusiasm contrasted with Brian's negativity and practicality? Is Sophie a dreamer because of her curiosity and enthusiasm?

(see the answer keys)

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