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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. Why does the narrator think that it is a good idea to keep rabbits on Whale Island?

2. In Chapter 11, "Our Estates," where does the family decide to keep their supply of gunpowder?

3. In Chapter 13, "Unpleasant Tasks," what creature does the family find on an outlying island?

4. In Chapter 18, "Repairs and Fortifications," what clever way do the boys find of communicating across distances?

5. In Chapter 14, "A Casualty," what creature endangers the family?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 10, "Changing Seasons," how does the narrator explain grafting to his sons?

2. In Chapter 17, "Bounty and Peril," what new method of skinning animals does the narrator devise, and why does he feel it is necessary?

3. In Chapter 17, "Bounty and Peril," when the boys return from hunting, what does Jack say about hunting with the ostrich, and what is the narrator's reply?

4. In Chapter 12, "Anniversary," how does the narrator begin the athletic competition, and what is this incident intended to demonstrate about his character?

5. In Chapter 13, "Unpleasant Tasks," what reactions does the family have to the dead whale?

6. In Chapter 16, "A Winged Steed," what is Elizabeth's first reaction to the ostrich, and what does Jack tell her in reply?

7. In Chapter 12, "Anniversary," how do Jack and Fritz wake the family, and how do their parents respond?

8. In Chapter 14, "A Casualty," why does the narrator not take the pinnace to explore beyond Cape Disappointment?

9. In Chapter 11, "Our Estates," how do the narrator and his sons make the air in the cave safe?

10. In Chapter 16, "A Winged Steed," how do the narrator and his sons succeed in catching an ostrich?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay in which you answer the following questions--be sure to use specific textual evidence to support your claims and to cite in MLA format any outside resources you use in your essay: What is "Christian husbandry," and in what way does the novel reflect the principles of Christian husbandry?

Essay Topic 2

What is the thematic significance of the many homes and outposts that the family constructs? Write an essay that describes these and notes their plot significance and then offers an analysis of what thematic idea is supported by this proliferation of "homes." Be sure to offer textual support for your claims.

Essay Topic 3

What is the purpose of offering moments of humor in a didactic novel? Write an essay that evaluates the use of humor in this novel and offers a theory about the relationship of this humor to the novel's purpose as a teaching tool. Be sure to offer textual support for your claims. If you use outside resources in your discussion of the didactic novel, be sure to cite your sources in MLA format.

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