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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Detailed Summary & Analysis.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. When does Santiago plan to be out to sea?
(a) All night.
(b) By noon.
(c) Before it is light.
(d) Right after daybreak.

2. What does Hemingway mean when he says that the old man harpooned the shark with resolution and complete malignancy?
(a) The old man was dying of skin cancer.
(b) The old man was acting out of instinct.
(c) The old man was motivated by hate.
(d) The old man was unsure of what to do.

3. How do you know Santiago had never been up in a plane?
(a) He says out loud that he would never get on one of those things.
(b) He hardly glances at the plane as it goes over.
(c) He thinks planes are the same size as flying fish.
(d) He wonders what the sea looks like from that height.

4. Which line below gives an indication of Santiago's respect for nature?
(a) Light brisa, he thought, better weather for me than for you, fish.
(b) He thought of how some men feared being out of sight of land in a small boat.
(c) I wish I could feed the fish, he thought. He is my brother.
(d) God help me to have the cramp go.

5. How does he get something to eat?
(a) He catches seaweed and shakes the small shrimp out of it.
(b) He puts the small line into the water and catches a tuna.
(c) He cuts a slice out of the marlin.
(d) He eats some of the rotting sardines and hopes it does not make him sick.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the old man imagine about the marlin if it had been alive?

2. What does the shadow of a passing airplane do on the surface of the sea?

3. How thick is the line the old man uses to catch big fish?

4. What does the fisherman say about the marlin to the boy?

5. What does Santiago do when another fish takes the bait on another line?

(see the answer key)

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