View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where was Zaga living at the end of the story "Soroche"?

2. What U.S. state do the Marburg sisters grow up in?

3. How does Theo's parenting of his daughters change after their mother dies?

4. Which of the following adjectives best describes Alec Carrière's father?

5. Where is Dr. Grant sent in the hopes of gaining funding for Grosse Isle?

Short Essay Questions

1. What parallels can be found between Carrière and his idol, Alfred Wallace?

2. Where did Alec Carrière grow up, and what was his ambition in life?

3. What does Zaga do with Joel's money after his death?

4. How did Wallace and Carrière meet?

5. What devastating event occurs on Joel and Zaga's honeymoon?

6. Why are the Marburg sisters so wild?

7. What becomes of Carrière's scientific breakthrough, and how does this end result compare to his hopes?

8. What happened to Alec Carrière on his way home from Brazil?

9. What is the state of the passengers aboard the ships at Grosse Isle?

10. Who is Adam Rowley?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What initially drives Dr. Lauchlin Grant to the quarantine station on Grosse Isle? How does Lauchlin's character grow and change over the course of "Ship Fever"? How do his contacts with Nora Kynd and the other Irish emigrants alter his view of the world?

Essay Topic 2

In any story collection, the order of the stories is purposeful and meant to evoke certain connections and rhythms in the reader. How are the stories in "Ship Fever" arranged? How does that order influence your reading of the book as a whole? In your opinion, which story do you think should have opened the collection - therefore setting its tone - and which should have ended the collection, anchoring the themes? Be sure to include examples from the text to help strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

Much of the story "Soroche" is concerned with wealth - who has it, who doesn't, and how it's spent. First, describe the distribution of wealth within the story. Then, describe the choices Zaga has to make about her late husband's wealth, and the influences she received from outsiders about what to do with the money. In the end, do you think Zaga made the right choice with the money? Why or why not? Be sure to include examples from the text to help strengthen your arguments.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 871 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample