Commonlit: The Open Boat Assessment

PART A: Which of the following best explains the meaning and significance of the poem quoted after paragraph 179?

D. The poem describes a soldier dying, the meaning and impact of which never occurred to the correspondent before being himself confronted with the possibility of death.

PART B: How does the correspondent's attitude towards the soldier in the poem change?

A. He becomes more aware of the soldier's death in the poem as a truly human thing, a description of suffering to which he was indifferent as a young man.

PART A: Select TWO choices from the list below that best identify the themes of the story.

A. Man versus Nature B. Brotherhood or community

PART B: Which of the following passages best supports the answer to Part A?

A. Paragraph 44

Which of the following best summarizes how the men interact with each other?

A. The men work together like a well-oiled machine, each with assigned duties to stay alive.

PART B: Which of the following quotes best supports the answer to Part A?

B. "This tower was a giant, standing with its back to the plight of the ants." (Paragraph 203)

What does the incident with the shark in Part V reveal about the correspondent's and captain's points of view in this passage?

B. Both were rather indifferent to the shark; the correspondent was more concerned with being alone (or not being alone) than the shark.

How does paragraph 11 contribute to the development of the narrator's point of view?

B. It shows the men's predicament from a different, more picturesque perspective, contrasting and emphasizing the terrible situation in which the men find themselves.

How is the first paragraph of the story important to the passage as a whole?

C. It establishes the ocean as the primary focus and antagonist of the survivors.

Which of the following best explains the author's purpose in naming only one character?

C. The author names him as a way of suggesting that he is an average man, so that his death underscores the randomness of nature and its indifference to tragedy.

PART A: How does the description of the windmill in paragraphs 201-203 contribute to the central ideas of the text?

C. The windmill is described as towering and disinterested, contributing to the idea of an indifferent universe.

In paragraph 44, how does the narration describe their tile at sea and the impact it had on everyone, especially the correspondent?

Paragraph 44 describes that during their time out on sea, a sense of brotherhood had developed between all four of the men. Although they didn't outright acknowledge it, they all felt it. This encourages them to work together, thus creating a positive impact in their dynamic. The correspondent, who was known to be cynical, was able to have a shift in attitude and which led him to gain the ability to form genuine relationships.

"If I am going to be drowned — if I am going to be drowned — if I am going to be drowned, why, in the name of the seven mad gods who rule the sea, was I allowed to come this far and contemplate sand and trees?" What does this repetition (in paragraph 71, paragraph 144, and paragraph 173) contribute to the tone and overall piece?

The repetition of this phrase shows all of the men's feelings toward their predicament. The phrase contributes to the depressing tone of the story near the end, where their waning mental state is shown. The men start out eager to fight for their lives, although they are still exasperated and frustrated over the lack of control they have over nature. As the story progresses, this phrase shortens and shows that although the men are still willing to fight to survive, their tone shows that their mental state has drastically declines from what it once was.