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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. Which of the following is a landmark Owen and George hope to sight?

2. Whom of the following greets Natalie on the boat?

3. What color is the cover on the pool where Akira finds her horse?

4. Which of the following does Natalie realize she has lost?

5. Which of the following does the second polar bear that confronts Owen and George eat?

Short Essay Questions

1. What leads Akira to her assessment of Sue’s injury?

2. How do Natalie and the Evanses escape the Evans home?

3. What comfort does Anne offer Natalie?

4. How does Natalie liken herself to the manatee she encounters in the storm?

5. What hope does Sue have with her swimming?

6. What variation on a cliché does Akira think of at Nova’s house (1639)?

7. Why does Natalie scream at the storm?

8. What belief about polar bears and igloos does George report?

9. Why do residents of Churchill leave cars and houses unlocked?

10. For what reason does Owen like the busy time of year in Churchill?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Readerly attention focuses on “the old saying about bears: ‘If it’s brown, lie down. If it’s black, fight back. If it’s white, say good night’” (395). Considering your own reading of the novel, what accounts for the attention paid to the passage? Why might it attract attention?

Essay Topic 2

Explicate the significance of the name of any one character in the text.

Essay Topic 3

Similarly, the lengths of chapters influence reading. What pattern of chapter-length is present in the novel, if any? What effect does the length of chapters have on the reading? How is the effect achieved?

(see the answer keys)

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