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. What type of boat does Ruth go in with Owney in Chapter 7?

2. What news about Ruth does Kitty tell Stan in Chapter 12?

3. What nickname does Stan earn after the end of the war?

4. What does Owney show Ruth near a tiny island in Chapter 7?

5. What does Ruth do when she sees Lanford grin at the end of the novel?

Short Essay Questions

1. What puts a stop to the last lobster war?

2. How has Ruth's personal life changed by the Epilogue?

3. How does Ruth feel about her sexual experience with Owney in Chapter 11?

4. What does Toby believe is the future of Fort Niles?

5. Why does Owney have hidden lobsters?

6. What happened to Stan's marriage to Mary during the lobster wars and immediately following the lobster war?

7. Why are Ruth and Owney left alone in Chapter 7? What does Owney show Ruth?

8. How have Rhonda's sons lived since Ira's death?

9. How does Ruth's relationship with Lanford conclude in the Epilogue?

10. Describe the drive to Rockland in Chapter 7.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the role of the woman on the islands? As a woman, what do Ruth's parents expect of her? How do Ruth's ambitions clash with the social expectations placed upon her?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the secondary characters of the novel. Who are they and what are their roles in the novel? Describe their relationships with Ruth.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the love and romance found in the novel, particularly the relationship between Ruth and Owney. How do they meet? What is Ruth's first impression of Owney? What is the status of their relationship by the end of the novel?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 900 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample