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Worksheets

The Old Man and the Sea

Total questions: 82

Worksheet time: 1hrs 23mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What is the setting of The Old Man and the Sea?

a)

Mexico

b)

Key West

c)

The Canary Islands

d)

Cuba

2.

The Old Man and the Sea is a/an

a)

novella

b)

satire

c)

short story

d)

autobiography

3.

Why does Santiago feel humiliated?

a)

Manolin leaves him.

b)

He loses the fish.

c)

Everyone thinks he got lost.

d)

His hand cramps.

4.

Santiago doesn't eat yellow rice with fish because

a)

it is made with marlin.

b)

he is too tired to cook.

c)

Manolin poisoned it.

d)

he does not have any.

5.

Why does Santiago like Joe DiMaggio?

a)

He visited Santiago's home.

b)

His father was a fisherman.

c)

He is now a good manager.

d)

He married Marilyn Monroe.

6.

Why does Santiago believe that he lost his fish?

a)

He didn't have the boy with him.

b)

He forgot about the sharks.

c)

He went out too far.

d)

He didn't tie it tightly to the boat.

7.

How do the other fisherman feel about Santiago once he returns home?

a)

They respect him even more.

b)

They call him salao.

c)

They call him El Campeon.

d)

They do not believe his story.

8.

Which of the following does NOT reveal how old Santiago is?

a)

teeth

b)

hands

c)

neck

d)

eyes

9.

What does Santiago use to kill the first shark that attacks the marlin?

a)

club

b)

knife

c)

harpoon

d)

skiff

10.

What month does the story take place?

a)

August

b)

September

c)

October

d)

November

11.

Why does Manolin's father forbid him to go fishing with Santiago?

a)

He has lost faith in the old man.

b)

He is an autocratic dictator.

c)

He is jealous of the old man's luck.

d)

He knows the old man is dying.

12.

How does Santiago differ from Manolin's father?

a)

He does not teach the boy.

b)

He allows the boy to get him food.

c)

He gives the boy responsibilities.

d)

He does not punish the boys.

13.

What does the presence of dolphins tell Santiago?

a)

A storm is approaching.

b)

Tourist boats are in the area.

c)

Big fish are near.

d)

Winter is coming.

14.

What does Santiago do while he waits for the fish to tire?

a)

He listens to the radio.

b)

He reads the Bible.

c)

He eats a sandwich.

d)

He talks to himself.

15.

Santiago's treachery was (in other words, Santiago was defeated because of)

a)

catching too big a fish.

b)

being too old.

c)

going out too far.

d)

having a cut hand.

16.

Santiago says that man is not made for

a)

deafeat.

b)

dying.

c)

despair.

d)

destruction.

17.

What does Santiago dream about?

a)

catching a large fish.

b)

lions on the beach.

c)

his wife and his children

d)

fishing with the boy.

18.

What do Santiago's dreams represent?

a)

his fear of the sea.

b)

his fear of animals.

c)

his youth and vitality.

d)

his love of\ women.

19.

Approximately how much does the fish weigh?

a)

500 pounds

b)

1000 pounds

c)

1500 pounds

d)

2000 pounds

20.

How does the boy react when he finally sees the old man at the end?

a)

He laughs

b)

He screams

c)

He runs away

d)

He cries

21.

What is the saddest thing the old man ever saw at sea?

a)

A marlin that wouldn't leave its mate.

b)

A marooned whale.

c)

A turtle that was butchered.

d)

A drowning boy.

22.

What is left of the fish at the end?

a)

only the sword

b)

the skeleton and the head

c)

half of the meat

d)

forty pounds of stomach meat

23.

How long does it take the old man to catch the fish?

a)

one day and one night

b)

forty days

c)

five days

d)

three days

24.

What keeps the old man alive?

a)

the government

b)

his wife

c)

the boy

d)

fishing

25.

Hemingway's writing style can be described as

a)

simple and easy to understand

b)

rambling and complex

c)

satirical

d)

poetic

26.

The point of view of The Old Man and the Sea is

a)

third person

b)

first person

c)

omnscient

d)

second person

27.

Santiago wants the fish to jump so that

a)

it will not go down deep to die.

b)

he can see how big it is.

c)

he can use the club instead of the harpoon.

d)

it will scare away the sharks.

28.

Santiago calls the fish his

a)

savior

b)

brother

c)

sin

d)

equal

29.

Santiago calls the sea la mar instead of el mar because

a)

he thinks of it as an enemy

b)

he loves it as a man loves a woman

c)

he doesn't want to correct the boy

d)

he hardly speaks Spanish

30.

Who is Santiago's hero?

a)

Joe DiMaggio

b)

Fidel Castro

c)

Dick Sisler

d)

Harry Truman

31.

What part of the old man's body is disloyal to him?

a)

hand

b)

feet

c)

head

d)

neck

32.

Name the contest Santiago participated in when he was younger.

a)

Home Run Derby

b)

Arm Wrestling match

c)

Relay Race

d)

Basketball Tournament

33.

What is the old man doing at the very end?

a)

fishing

b)

eating

c)

dreaming

d)

wrestling

34.

What kind of fish does Santiago catch first and eat later?

a)

dentuso

b)

galanos

c)

bonita

d)

el campeon

35.

"He always thought of the sea as la mar which is what people call _____ in Spanish when they love _____." People sometimes say bad things about the sea, but they always referred to the sea as a(n) ______.

a)

him, him, he

b)

her, her, she

c)

it, it, it

d)

blue, blue, deep blue escape

36.

Why did the old man always feel sorry for sea turtles, even the gigantic ones?

a)

They cannot scratch their backs no matter how much it may itch.

b)

Their meat is so tough that no one likes the taste but still hunts them.

c)

They live so long that they forgot why they even exist.

d)

Their hearts would still beat for hours after butchered.

37.

What had always been a virtue that the old man always considered so and respected it?

a)

Never kill a dolphin.

b)

Always throw back the little fish.

c)

Do not talk unnecessarily at sea.

d)

Bring an extra oar.

38.

What type of fish eats the old man's sardines a hundred fathoms below the water's surface?

a)

Tuna

b)

Marlin

c)

Shark

d)

Whale

39.

(When the old man first hooked the great fish.)


"This will kill him, the old man thought. He can't do this forever. But _____ hours later the fish was still swimming steadily out to sea, towing the skiff, and the old man was still braced solidly with the line across his back."

a)

Four

b)

Two

c)

Twelve

d)

Five

40.

"Fish, 'he said softly, aloud,' I'll stay with you until I am ________."

a)

old

b)

ancient

c)

crowned

d)

dead

41.

How did the old man cut his hand?

a)

the fishing line

b)

he fell overboard

c)

the fish speared him

d)

the oar broke in his hand

42.

What type of fish did the old man first catch and eat?

a)

Dolphin

b)

Flying Fish

c)

Albacore Tuna

d)

Swordfish

43.

What was the old man's metaphorical "thorn in his side" for a large portion of his fishing venture?

a)

left hand cramping

b)

cold weather

c)

sunburn

d)

dehydration

44.

What sport did the old man always refer to when talking about his pastime and his favorite player?

a)

Football

b)

Boxing

c)

Golf

d)

Baseball

45.

Who was his favorite athlete?

a)

Joe Lombardi

b)

George Foreman

c)

Jack Nicklaus

d)

Joe DiMaggio

46.

On what island is the old man living in a shack?

a)

Jamaica

b)

Bahamas

c)

Cuba

d)

Puerto Rico

47.

What reoccurring dream does the old man have?

a)

African beaches and lions.

b)

Lions.

c)

African beaches.

d)

Going home to his wife.

48.

What is the second type of fish the old man eats? (It is really sweet and terrible raw.)

a)

Dolphin

b)

Shark

c)

Albacore Tuna

d)

Swordfish

49.

What does the great fish need to do in order to build up air pockets in its spine so it cannot go down in the depths of the sea and die?

a)

Blow water from his spear.

b)

Jump.

c)

Swim as fast as possible.

d)

Wrestle the hook.

50.

What does the great fish begin to do when it is tired that lets the old man know that he has almost caught it?

a)

Jump.

b)

Go deep underwater.

c)

Circle.

d)

Shake the line.

51.

What competition did the old man win when he was younger against a strong Negro man?

a)

Fishing

b)

Bull riding

c)

Weight lifting

d)

Arm wrestling

52.

What did the old man use to kill the great fish?

a)

Oar

b)

Harpoon

c)

Knife

d)

Skiff

53.

How much did the old man project the great fish to weigh? _________ lbs.

a)

500

b)

100

c)

1000

d)

1500

54.

How much money did he think he could earn per pound on the fish?

a)

$1.00

b)

30 cents

c)

80 cents

d)

$1.50

55.

What did the old man hook in the Gulf weed with the gaff and pull into the boat. (There were a dozen of them jumping, and he ate them.)

a)

Oysters

b)

Flying Fish

c)

Clams

d)

Shrimp

56.

"But man is not made for _________, 'he said.' A man can be destroyed but not________." (The old man speaking)

a)

Death, killed

b)

Happiness, resurrected

c)

Land, lost

d)

Defeat, defeated

57.

What attacked the great fish and the old man's boat?

a)

Killer whale

b)

Piranhas

c)

Sharks

d)

Marlin

58.

What type of fish is a dentuso?

a)

Mako shark

b)

Marlin

c)

Swordfish

d)

Porpoise

59.

These fish are brown with triangular fins, and they are very hateful scavengers and killers.

a)

Sting rays

b)

Tiger sharks

c)

Shovel-nosed sharks

d)

Porpoises

60.

What was left of the great fish when the old man reached the docks of the island?

a)

All but its head

b)

Head and its front half

c)

All of the fish was intact.

d)

Head, spine, and tail

61.

How long did the great fish end up being?

a)

12 ft.

b)

3 ft.

c)

18 ft.

d)

10 ft.

62.

What is the best theme for this story?

a)

Heroics

b)

Perseverance

c)

Failure

d)

Glory

63.

What does the word phosphorescent refer to throughout the story?

a)

light

b)

food

c)

flavor

d)

fish

64.

What did the boy bring to the old man when he was trying to wake him up when he returned?

a)

Biscuits

b)

Beer

c)

Hot Water

d)

Coffee

65.

What three things will the old man always remember to bring aboard his boat when on a fishing venture?

a)

Lemons, extra clothes, and a partner.

b)

Lemons, salt, and a killing lance.

c)

Food, water, and shelter.

d)

A woman, a friend, and a buoy knife.

66.

The Old Man and the Sea was first published in

a)

1960

b)

1948

c)

1952

d)

1929

67.

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

68.

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

69.

Hemingway invented a style called

a)

the polar bear theory

b)

the mountain theory

c)

the snow theory

d)

the iceberg theory

70.

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

71.

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"

72.

Santiago and Manolin both like

a)

cricket

b)

football

c)

basketball

d)

baseball

73.

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

74.

'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

75.

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

76.

1. What is the old man's name?

(a)  

77.

1. how many days the old man did not fish?

a)

84

b)

85

c)

73

d)

78

78.

1. At what age did the boy get on the old man's boat for the first time?

a)

8

b)

15

c)

13

d)

5

79.

1. What is the boy's name?

a)

PEDRO

b)

MARCO

c)

MANOLIN

d)

SANTIAGO

80.

How did the other fishermen treat the old man and how did he feel? ( page 11)

a)

They respected him and it made him feel accomplished

b)

They made fun of him and it made him very angry

c)

They made fun of him but it did not make him angry

81.

What used to hang on the walls of the old man’s shack that he had to remove because it made him too lonely? ( page 16)

a)

a picture of his wife

b)

a picture of his parents

c)

his wedding license

d)

a drawing that his wife made

82.

What does the old man say is his “alarm clock” ? ( page 24) __________________

a)

the boy

b)

age

c)

the rooster outside of his home