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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 the name of the ghost ship that Giordino mentions as they approach the Odyssey?

2. What does Pitt sneak into a funding bill for NUMA?

3. What happens to the South Korean president after the revelations about Kang come to light?

4. What does Rudy Gunn direct his NUMA ships to do in Chapter 46?

5. Who is the leader of the Navy SEAL team that attempts to locate Kang's ship?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Ling's function on board the Koguryo.

2. What plan do NUMA and homeland security officials put into action in Chapter 43?

3. What does a launch engineer tell Ling in Chapter 58, and what is Ling and Tongju's response?

4. What happens to the Narwhal?

5. How do Dirk Sr. and Al rescue Dirk Jr. and Jack from the Odyssey?

6. What do Dirk and Summer plan to do after joining the Deep Endeavor in Chapter 46?

7. Describe the end of Tongju.

8. What happens to the Badger upon the launch of the rocket from the Odyssey?

9. How does Pitt Sr. escape the sinking Odyssey platform?

10. Describe what happens to the Zenit rocket after its launch.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Black Wind is chock-full of familiar characters. Even if one has never read any of Cussler's Dirk Pitt novels, the reader will recognize many archetypes - the hero(s), the villain, the mentor, the deceiver, etc. Looking at the novel as a whole, select five characters. For each character, (a) compare them to other similar characters in fiction - other heroes, other villains, etc.; (b) evaluate how creative Cussler has been in breathing new life into these familiar types.

Essay Topic 2

There are two obvious "male buddy" relationships found in Black Wind. One is the relationship between Dirk Sr. and Al; the other is between Dirk Jr. and Jack. Compare and contrast these two relationships. How are they similar? How are they different? Which is more convincing and realistic? Why does Cussler emphasize these kinds of relationships?

Essay Topic 3

Evaluate Cussler as a storyteller. How effective is he at winding out a yarn? Can you evaluate his storytelling ability apart from his writing style, the believability of his characters, and the plausibility of the plot? If he were to ask your counsel, i.e. "How can I improve my storytelling?", what would you tell him? Consider his writing style. How would you define it? What about the elements of pacing? His ability to keep the reader engaged? To move readers to complete "just one more chapter?" Identify specific elements from the book that support your answers.

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