View a FREE sample

This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What can be seen in Cabo San Lucas?
(a) A monastery with several nuns planting corn.
(b) A cannery along with a few houses on shore, and a rocky ridge that extends from the muntain into the ocean.
(c) An amusement park with rides and games, children and adults alike enjoy the park.
(d) A school for teenagers who want to be marines and navy in the future.

2. What explanation does the expedition party give to the Mexicans they meet on Espiritu Santo Island?
(a) They are attracted to the culture of the place and want to stay there for good.
(b) They are collecting curios which will fetch a good price back at home.
(c) They are looking at useless animals out of general scientific interest.
(d) They are just passing along, and their destination is Southeast Asia.

3. What is taking place on the day before the expedition party leaves for its journey?
(a) A celebration marking the end of the sardine fishing season.
(b) A mass asking for good harvest.
(c) A mass to bless the travelers in their journey.
(d) A celebration for the success of the expedition.

4. What do the Mexican officials do with the expedition party?
(a) They arrive for a welcoming ceremony including coffee, smoking and a bit of paperwork.
(b) They arrive to talk to Steinbeck and Ricketts another expedition to be done within the year.
(c) They arrive to inspect the expedition party's baggages including the marine life they have caught.
(d) They arrive to discuss with Steinbeck the possibility of making a book about Cabo San Lucas.

5. What does the expedition party find on their destination on March 23?
(a) It has little life form and there is not much of interest to collect.
(b) It has abundant life form and they need more tha a month to fully collect all the interesting specimen present.
(c) It requires a visitor's tax and they do not have enough money to pay the tax.
(d) It was full of other visitors, tourists who have heard about the place, and they cannot do any collection activity.

6. What are John Steinbeck's lamentations about?
(a) The soaring prices of gasoline and labor which he needs for his expedition.
(b) About how short a time he has to do all the things he wants to do.
(c) The weather being unpredictable which makes a sea expedition particularly hard.
(d) The lack of information available to him necessary to plan an expedition to the sea.

7. What does Tiny collect in La Paz?
(a) Rare, poisonous fish only seen in La Paz.
(b) Unremarkable species that are representative of the more common species in the area.
(c) Dirty dishes from the various eating places they have visited.
(d) Spices and herbs that are reputed to be aphrodisiac.

8. How many crew members are signed on for the expedition?
(a) One.
(b) Four.
(c) Three.
(d) Two.

9. Which piece of equipment receives positive feedback from the author?
(a) The outboard motor.
(b) None. Everything was trashed by the author.
(c) The diesel engine.
(d) The diesel engine and the outboard motor.

10. What examples of marine life does the expedition party collect in Espiritu Santo Island?
(a) Sea cucumbers and brittle-stars.
(b) Porpoises and sea turtles.
(c) Anemone fish and tadpoles.
(d) Starfishes and seahorses.

11. Who is Raul?
(a) He is the local priest in La Paz.
(b) He sells chicken, pork and fish, and the expedition party bought their dinner from him.
(c) He is a boy who offeres to take Steinbeck and Ricketts in his canoe to a place that was visible from the boat, where the two can collect some specimen.
(d) He is the local leader in La Paz, and he can determine whether the expedition party can land or not.

12. Where is the expedition party heading?
(a) They arre heading east to their destination.
(b) They arre heading north to their destination.
(c) They arre heading west to their destination.
(d) They are heading south to their destination.

13. Where is Cabo San Lucas?
(a) It is at the southern tip of Magdalena Bay.
(b) It is at the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula.
(c) It is at the northern tip of San Diego Bay.
(d) It is at the southern tip of San Diego Bay.

14. What does the log entry of March 12 say?
(a) It describes the progress of the Western Flyer, and the team's actions during the travel.
(b) It describes the festivities that happened in Cortez, Mexico and how the expedition party won several prizes.
(c) It describes the fight between John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts.
(d) It describes the boat race between the Western Flyer and another vessel.

15. How does Steinbeck compare navigation at sea to life?
(a) He likens trying to keep a course to attempting to achieve an ideal.
(b) He likens trying to keep a course to walking a tight pole.
(c) He likens sea navigation to courting a girl.
(d) He likens sea navigation to cooking a gourmet course.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the greater purpose for which the author wants to use his observations of the activities of the biological creatures?

2. What is non-teleological thinking, as introduced by the author on Easter Sunday, March 24?

3. What type of biologist is preferred by John Steinbeck?

4. What do members of the party feel when they are the one manning the wheel?

5. What does Steinbeck say about the authors of the descriptions written about Cabo San Lucas?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,092 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample