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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What brings Santiago awake suddenly in the night?
(a) Another plane flies over at a low altitude.
(b) It starts to rain.
(c) The smell of the leftover raw fish.
(d) The marlin is jumping again and again out of the sea.

2. How does the old man get hurt when the fish yanks on the line?
(a) The line cuts his hand where he was holding it.
(b) The yank causes his back to ache.
(c) The old man falls over and hits his head.
(d) The line gets tangled around his feet.

3. Why does the old man scoop water from the sea after the marlin stops jumping?
(a) To get a small drink.
(b) To see the water temperature.
(c) To medicate his left hand.
(d) To wash the dolphin flesh off his face.

4. What is the boy's reaction when the proprietor of the Terrace compliments his catch the day before?
(a) He says to stop talking or it will bring him bad luck.
(b) He says to tell people to go visit the old man.
(c) He says the proprietor should see what the old man caught.
(d) He says to damn his fish and starts crying again.

5. What does Santiago consider as his principal friends on the ocean?
(a) The dolphins.
(b) The flying fish.
(c) The song birds.
(d) The giant turtles.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why do the other fishermen think of the sea in the masculine, el mar?

2. What worries Santiago as he returns to Cuba in the night?

3. Something brings Santiago out of his reverie. What is it?

4. When Santiago spots the shark, what does he know about the predator?

5. What does the old man think about a cramp?

Short Essay Questions

1. After Santiago manages to kill the shovel-nosed sharks that have taken about a quarter of the meat off his marlin, how does he feel?

2. Discuss the idea of luck in The Old Man and the Sea.

3. Explain the significance of the scattered thoughts of the old man as he struggles to hold onto the fish.

4. Relate the speech the boy makes to show his estimation of Santiago as a fisherman.

5. Describe the last moments that define the valor of the great marlin.

6. Explain the first indication that Santiago has that he has caught a very large fish, even though he has not seen it and does know know what kind of fish it is.

7. Aside from the times that Santiago actually says, "I'm lonely", how does Hemingway emphasize that situation?

8. What is the metaphoric significance of the arm wrestling match in Casablanca?

9. What new indication tells Santiago and the reader that this is a truly remarkable fish after the moonlight jump?

10. How does the old man utilize the power of positive thinking as he struggles with the huge marlin during the night?

(see the answer keys)

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