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The Old Man and the Sea

Total questions: 20

Worksheet time: 15mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

The Old Man and the Sea was first published in

a)

1960

b)

1948

c)

1952

d)

1929

2.

The novella tells the story of

a)

a father and his son

b)

an old man and his nephew

c)

an old couple

d)

an old man and his friend

3.

Which of the following adjectives describes Hemingway’s writings best?

a)

surreal

b)

autobiographical

c)

comic

d)

happy

4.

The story is set in

a)

Spain during WWII

b)

New York during the 1920s

c)

Cuba during the Cold War

d)

France at the turn of the century

5.

Hemingway invented a style called

a)

the polar bear theory

b)

the mountain theory

c)

the snow theory

d)

the iceberg theory

6.

Santiago often dreams about

a)

catching a fish

b)

Manolin

c)

his late wife

d)

lions

7.

The story is told from

a)

the fish’s perspective

b)

Manolin's perspective

c)

Joe DiMaggio's perspective

d)

an external perspective

8.

Hemingway started his writing career as

a)

a playwright

b)

a novelist

c)

a journalist

d)

a translator

9.

At the beginning of the novel, Santiago is described as

a)

salao, which is the worst form of unlucky

b)

starving, which means dying of hunger

c)

formidable, which means inspiring respect through being impressively powerful

d)

devout, which means being very religious

10.

Which of the following phrases does Santiago utter to himself most frequently while at sea?

a)

"I wish I could go home"

b)

"I wish the boy was here"

c)

"I need to catch this fish"

d)

"I'm hungry"

11.

For how long does Santiago wrestle with the Marlin?

a)

Two days and two nights

b)

A week

c)

One day and one night

d)

five days

12.

Santiago and Manolin both like

a)

cricket

b)

football

c)

basketball

d)

baseball

13.

Santiago hates a cramp because

a)

it's painful

b)

it is a treachery of one's own body

c)

it allows you to take a break

d)

it gives him a tingling sensation

14.

Santiago can't bring home the fish because

a)

the marlin escapes

b)

the eagles eat it

c)

the sharks eat it

d)

he needs to eat it to get back to shore

15.

'A man can be destroyed but not defeated' is a key example of the theme of

a)

the greatness and nobility of man's courage

b)

the superior forces of nature

c)

hopelessness

d)

friendship

16.

Santiago's efforts are similar to

a)

Sisyphus' toilsome work

b)

Manolin's success

c)

DiMaggio's relentlessness

d)

Hemingway's time as a journalist

17.

Which of the following expressions is explicitly related to the theme of man's love of and connection with nature?

a)

la mar

b)

el mar

c)

El Campeón

d)

galanos

18.

Toward the end of the story, Santiago identifies with the fish, calling him

a)

"brother" and "old fish"

b)

"friend" and "sibling"

c)

"mine" and "relative"

d)

"old fish" and "mine"

19.

The story concludes in a

a)

comic way

b)

tragic way

c)

depressing and hopeless way

d)

tragicomic way

20.

The Old Man and the Sea is a story about

a)

the methods one should use when trying to fish marlin

b)

the various relentless efforts of man trying to create a meaningful life

c)

the links between fishing and baseball

d)

the hardships of rural life during the Cold War