Mid-Book Test - Hard
|Name: _________________________||Period: ___________________|
This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. What injury does Sarah sustain in the car chase and subsequent wreck?
2. What attacks the Sea Rover in Chapter 26?
3. Where is the Japanese submarine discovered by a fishing boat?
4. Where are the U.S. ambassador to Japan and British ambassador to Japan found at the opening of Chapter 4?
5. How do Dirk and Summer propose to salvage the bombs from the I-411?
Short Essay Questions
1. What do Dirk Pitt, Sr., and Al Giordino do in response to Raul Biazon's request in Chapter 12?
2. Why do Sarah and the other scientists survive the same toxin that killed the two meteorologists in Chapter 1?
3. How do Dirk and Sarah escape the thugs in the Cadillac in Chapter 18?
4. What is the combination of toxins used in the chemical/biological weapon described in Chapter 32?
5. What initially happens after Dirk and Dahlgren board the Odyssey?
6. How does Pitt Sr. escape the sinking Odyssey platform?
7. What happens during the final showdown between Dirk and Kang?
8. What are Kang and those on board the Sea Rover looking for in Chapter 22?
9. What do Dirk and Sarah surmise about the fishing trawler at the conclusion of Chapter 3?
10. What do Dirk and Summer plan to do after joining the Deep Endeavor in Chapter 46?
Essay Topic 1
Dirk Pitt, Jr., is the hub of several relational spokes. Dirk Jr. relates to his father, his sister, his girlfriend, his sidekick, even his enemy. Choose five of Dirk's relationships, and explore them by comparing and contrasting those relationships to each other. Evaluate how Dirk's relationship with each of them shows a different facet of his nature and personality. Explain how persuasive and believable these relationships are.
Essay Topic 2
Dialogue can often propel a story forward. Cussler's heroes tend to make broad, inspirational statements and have plenty of quips at the ready. His villains tend to do everything but twirl their mustaches - note the times when the villains speak, they "hiss" or their words are "spat out." Looking through the novel, pick out ten quotes from the protagonists (the two Dirks, Summer, Al, Jack, etc.) and ten quotes from the antagonists (Kang, Tongju, etc.) Try to come up with a mix of quotes that sound pitch-perfect and persuasive, and quotes that are "groaners," better suited as balloons in a cartoon panel. For each quote, evaluate why it does or doesn't work, and discuss whether or not Cussler's use of dialogue is appropriate for the book's context or not.
Essay Topic 3
Virtually all of Black Wind takes place either above, on the surface of, or under the sea. It is obviously an environment Cussler feels comfortable with. Discuss whether or not the sea itself could be considered a character in the book, whether it is benign or threatening, how the characters relate to it, and if the story be told in some fashion on dry land. Consider, too, if the sea could act as a symbol. If so, what might it be symbolic of?
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