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Stephen Crane, The Open Boat

Stephen Crane, The Open Boat

Read The Open Boat and check your comprehension by answering the following questions. Then “submit” your work.

1. Who are the four characters aboard the open boat?

the first mate, a slave boy, the oiler, and a correspondent

a slave boy, the cook, a gunner, and the captain

the captain, the correspondent, the oiler, and the cook

the captain, the steersman, the first mate, and a gunner

2. Where do the men believe they are located?

off the coast of Florida

off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard

off the coast of Barbados

off the coast of Algiers

3. What do the men say over and over when no one from the rescue station comes to save them?

“They must be sleeping. Or eating. Or waiting for the right moment.”

“Damn them. Damn them all.”

“Funny they don’t see us!”

“Those stupid bastards! Why do they toy with our lives so?”

4. For whom does the correspondent feel sympathy during his long night watch that he hasn’t felt sympathy for before?

his mother who he left with debts and unkind words

the hungry shark circling the boat

the first mate who perished before his eyes

a dying soldier from a childhood poem

5. Which of the characters dies while trying to make it to the shore?

the captain

the slave boy

the oiler

the correspondent