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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. Who is asked to quit the play?

2. Who thanks the gods in Book One, Part Four?

3. Who seems satisfied by the deaths that take place on the Ship in Book One, Part One?

4. Who reveals her interest in Erasmus?

5. In what sea is the Ship let loose near the beginning of her voyage?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Erasmus compare to cattle in Book One, Part Four?

2. Describe the setting for the Prologue.

3. Why does Erasmus not like Matthew Paris?

4. What tragedy occurs while the Ship is being built?

5. Why was Paris imprisoned?

6. Describe what happens in Book One, Part One, when Erasmus gets to the Wolperts' home.

7. What does Paris' view of evolution have to do with his imprisonment?

8. How does the ocean affect Paris?

9. Which three characters share a toast in Book One and why do they share it?

10. What is the relationship between Kemp and Saul Thurso like?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast the characters of Erasmus and Paris. How are their lives different? How are the characters the same?

Essay Topic 2

Unsworth uses a great deal of imagery in his book. What specific examples of imagery did Unsworth include in his book? How does that imagery add to the reader's experience of the story?

Essay Topic 3

Identify the concept of a metaphor. Describe the metaphor in the first parts of Unsworth's book used by Erasmus in relation to his feelings for Sarah and his father's death. Why does Unsworth decide to include that type of metaphor in his book?

(see the answer keys)

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