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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 does Callahan call 'dangerously capricious' when he is writing down his thoughts in his journal?

2. When does Callahan hope to reach his destination on his journey across the ocean?

3. What happens to the bottom of the older solar still, even with the many efforts of Callahan to fix it?

4. With the wide range of _____________, only the dawn and the dusk give Callahan any relief during his trip.

5. What does Callahan experience which helps him to endure the hot afternoon weather on his boat?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Callahan decide to eat more of the herbivore fish than the Dorado fish?

2. How long does Callahan calculate it will take the boat to reach the shipping lanes of the ocean?

3. What kind of dream is Callahan having when he wakes up in the night to crashing waves in the boat?

4. Why does Callahan want to have calmer weather, even though it might mean that he has a longer time until he might reach the shipping lanes?

5. What happens after Callahan is able to kill a Dorado fish which has been running into his boat?

6. How does Callahan begin to store food so that he may not run out of anything during times when he can not fish?

7. Why was there a possibility the Mini Transat might be delayed before Callahan had a chance to enter into it?

8. What are some of the leisure activities Callahan indulges in when he is on the Napoleon Solo?

9. What does Callahan risk when he tries to squeak past the Finisterre during the next stage of the race?

10. What does Callahan begin to document in order to calculate the odds of his own survival?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The storms that batter the seas around Callahan from the beginning do not deter him from his goals.

Part 1: Why do you think that storms were not a concern for Callahan?

Part 2: How do you think you would have handled the presence of storms if you were on the boat?

Part 3: Do you think there is ever a time when the seas are completely calm?

Essay Topic 2

Callahan is an experienced sailor and so it seems that he is able to know what he needs to do in order to survive.

Part 1: Do you think society as a whole knows what they would need to do in Callahan's situation?

Part 2: Do you think Callahan's experience increased his rate of survival?

Part 3: How do you think a non-experienced sailor might react in this sort of survival situation?

Essay Topic 3

From the beginning, it seems that Callahan did not anticipate his boat capsizing, as all of his supplies were stored in the lower parts of the boat, out of reach.

Part 1: Do you think that Callahan was well prepared for his trans-Atlantic journey?

Part 2: How else do you think Callahan could have prepared for the journey across the ocean?

Part 3: Do you think it's better to prepare for the worst or assume everything will work out well?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 750 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample