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

2. What does Sophie wish, as the travelers cross through Wales?

3. What level does Uncle Dock say the gale is?

4. What animals come to The Wanderer on its way out of the Bay of Fundy?

5. What is the trouble of the lone sailor the crew of The Wanderer talks to on the radio?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Sophie describe the color of the sea?

2. What does Uncle Stew say about the Gulf Stream and the Labrador Current?

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

4. What makes it difficult to find Bompie's house in the town of Thorpe?

5. How does Sophie feel about the ham radio?

6. What are Sophie and Uncle Dock's attitudes toward the autohelm?

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

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

9. How does Sophie feel about seeing Bompie, as the travelers near their destination?

10. What happens to the sails in the heavy wind?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the novel's structure.

1) Why does the author divide the novel into parts? What is the significance of the six parts of the novel?

2) Why do the chapters of the novel vary in length? What is different about the very short chapters? What role do these short chapters play in the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Sophie is a young adolescent as the novel begins, and the journey she takes is part of the process of growing up. Discuss growing up in the novel.

1) How does Sophie grow as a result of her journey? What steps does she take toward becoming an adult?

2) How does Cody grow up as a result of the journey on The Wanderer? How does he change?

3) What have Sophie's uncles lost and gained in the process of growing up? What does Sophie learn about growing up from talking to them?

Essay Topic 3

One of the primary themes of the novel is identity. Discus identity in the novel.

1) What elements help Sophie to find her identity and sense of self? Why does Sophie find it difficult to find her identity and where she fits into the world?

2) How do family, experience, memory, careers, and heritage affect identity in the novel?

3) How is storytelling a part of building identity for Sophie? What other ways do characters build or understand their identities?

(see the answer keys)

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