from Swimming to Antarctica

What will Cox attempt to do?

To be the first person to swim a mile in 32 degree water off the coast of Antarctica.

Which details show the difference between Cox's perspective before and after her swim?

After the swim, she is able to look back and focus on the support that made her accomplishment possible.

What changes for Cox after she shifts her course?

Cox finds her swimming rhythm and regains confidence that she will succeed.

Explain in what way the author's perspective on her swim changes as she nears the shore.

Aspects of the swim that seemed threatening now seem harmless to Cox. Her confidence surges as she nears the shore.

Identify two reasons Cox may have had for making the swim.

Cox desires to be the first and she wants to test human limits.

What do the opening sentences indicate about the author's attitude toward her swim?

Cox is confident in herself but also nervous and frightened

What details indicate that the writer's perspective before the swim includes fear and doubt?

Her attention to the glacier's placement so she can stay on course and the doctor tracing her veins in magic marker giving her the "creeps."

List two effects of the cold water on Cox's mind and body.

It makes it difficult for Cox to breathe and seems to induce a state of panic against which she must fight.

List three ways in which Cox prepares for her mile-long swim.

Taking a test swim, drinking hot water, eating croissants, and finding landmarks.

List two dangers Cox faces on her swim?

The danger of doing permanent damage to her muscles and nerves and being attacked by killer whales.

Does the Antarctic landscape match what you imagined based on Cox's descriptions? Explain.

The landscape is more mysterious and less welcoming than the beach Cox describes. The penguins, however, correspond with Cox's description.

knots

a rate of speed

equilibrium

a state of balance

hyperventilating

breathing so rapidly or deeply as to cause dizziness or fainting

buffer

cushion

prolonged

extended

crabbed

moved sideways or diagonally