EOC Passage: The Open Boat

Which sound effects would best match paragraph 3 of "The Open Boat"?

• sails snapping
• a man sobbing
• a storm roaring
• water splashing

An artist will paint the main scene in from “The Open Boat.”  Which colors should the artist choose to best match the mood of this passage?

• red and black
• gray and white
• _blue and green
• brown and blue

Which sentence from "The Open Boat" would most likely be the easiest to depict in a visual sequence in a film version?

• “None of them knew the color of the sky.”
• “The cook squatted in the bottom and looked with both eyes at the six inches of gunwale which separated him from the ocean.”
• “The mind of the master of a vessel is rooted deep in the timbers of her, though he command for a day or a decade.”
• “Although steady, it was deep with mourning, and of a quality beyond oration or tears.”

Crane chose to present this account in a short story form. Which of the following is an aspect of "The Open Boat” that would be most difficult to convey in a painting depicting the same scene?

• “These waves were of the hue of slate, save for the tops, which were of foaming white.”
• “These waves were most wrongfully and barbarously abrupt and tall.”
• “His sleeves were rolled over his fat forearms, and the two flaps of his unbuttoned vest dangled as he bent to bail out the boat.”
• “Thereafter there was something strange in his voice.”

Many a man ought to have a bath-tub larger than the boat which here rode upon the sea.   --- 
   Which sentence best explains the literary device used by the author?

• understatement, by indicating that the size of the boat will create danger
• understatement, by suggesting that the boat is smaller than a bath-tub
• _^metaphor, by exaggerating about the size of the boat
• metaphor, by comparing the boat to a bath-tub

How does Crane develop the theme that people cannot master the sea, even if they have great courage or intelligence?

• by describing the correspondent’s blank wonder at the sea
• by detailing the oiler’s fruitless efforts to steer with his small oar
• by demonstrating the captain’s sorrow at losing control of his ship
• by including the cook’s bemused exclamations about the power of the sea

Although steady, it was deep with mourning, and of a quality beyond oration or tears.   ----  What does the narrator suggest about the captain by using the phrase beyond oration?

• The captain’s voice is impossible to describe using words.
• The captain is trying to speak, but he can barely make a sound.
• The captain’s voice is difficult for the other men to understand.
• The captain is speaking frankly, without using formal speech conventions.

The mind of the master of a vessel is rooted deep in the timbers of her…   What insight does the narrator provide by making this observation?

• He is explaining why the shipwreck caused the captain such distress.
• He is describing how the captain lost his belongings when the ship sank.
• He is revealing the captain’s deep concentration on the task of steering the ship.
• He is referring to the captain’s image of the ship slipping beneath the waves.

None of them knew the color of the sky. Their eyes glanced level, and were fastened upon the waves that swept toward them. These waves were of the hue of slate, save for the tops, which were of foaming white, and all of the men knew the colors of the sea. ---- Which sentence best explains why Crane mentions that the men know the color of the sea but not the color of the sky?

• to describe the men’s single-minded devotion to a life at sea
• to suggest that the sky is barely visible due to the frothing waves
• to emphasize that the men are focusing primarily on the dangers of the sea
• to reveal that the ship is in trouble because the men missed the signs of a storm

Which excerpt from “The Open Boat” best reveals that the results of the shipwreck have a broader symbolic meaning for the narrator?

• “The horizon narrowed and widened, and dipped and rose, and at all times its edge was jagged with waves that seemed thrust up in points like rocks.”
• “These waves were most wrongfully and barbarously abrupt and tall, and each froth-top was a problem in small boat navigation.”
• “His sleeves were rolled over his fat forearms, and the two flaps of his unbuttoned vest dangled as he bent to bail out the boat.”
• “The injured captain, lying in the bow, was at this time buried in that profound dejection and indifference which comes, temporarily at least, to even the bravest and most enduring when, willy nilly, the firm fails, the army loses, the ship goes down.”