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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 Garrett find when he goes to write Theresa a letter while in her apartment in Boston?

2. What weekend does Garrett think of during the few days he and Theresa spend together following their first night together?

3. When Kevin and Theresa arrive to Wilmington, how does Kevin feel?

4. How many times do Garrett and Theresa see each other over the month following his trip to Boston?

5. Why does Theresa cancel her Thanksgiving plans?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Garrett's first trip to Boston?

2. Why does Theresa break off her relationship with Garrett?

3. How does Theresa react when Garrett proposes she moves to Wilmington?

4. What is the message in Garrett's dream at the end of Chapter 9?

5. What are Garrett's feelings at the start of Chapter 10?

6. What message does the last bottle from Garrett contain?

7. What lesson ddoes Theresa learn at the end of Chapter 11?

8. Why does Garrett's father visit him in his shop at the start of Chapter 10?

9. What news did Catherine give Garrett shortly before her death?

10. What question does Kevin ask Theresa in the plane back to Boston?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

A prologue can often foreshadow events and their importance to the book and its characters. Take the prologue of "Message in a Bottle" and review the author's introduction to the history of bottles and messages, such as the story of the shipwrecked sailor. Does the prologue add or detract from the story line? Define foreshadowing and give examples from the book to support your statements.

Essay Topic 2

In Chapter One, Theresa is deeply affected when grieving the loss of intimacy and love in her life. Discuss how loneliness is developed throughout the novel and how it contributes to the telling of the story by tracing it through the use of quotes.

Essay Topic 3

In the first letter written by Garrett to Catherine, Garrett discusses his dream about her. Discuss the symbolism that dreams can carry and how the author uses dreams to deepen Garrett's character traits. Define symbolism in the essay and use examples from the text to support your statements.

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