SparkNotes: The Old Man and the Sea: Quiz

1. When the novella opens, how long has it been since Santiago last caught a fish?

(A) 40 days

(B) 84 days

(C) 87 days

(D) 120 days

2. Manolin’s parents refuse to let the boy fish with the old man because they believe Santiago is salao. How does Hemingway translate this word?

(A) “Crazy”

(B) “Selfish”

(C) “Washed up”

(D) “The worst form of unlucky”

3. How does Hemingway describe Santiago’s eyes?

(A) They are full of pain

(B) They are blank with defeat

(C) They betray the weariness of his soul

(D) They are the color of the sea

4. What kind of reception does Santiago receive at the terrace café?

(A) The fishermen regard him as a hero

(B) Most of the fishermen mock him

(C) The successful fishermen offer him a portion of their day’s catch

(D) The younger fishermen pretend that the old man doesn’t exist

5. Who is Santiago’s hero?

(A) Harry Truman

(B) Joe DiMaggio

(C) Dick Sisler

(D) Fidel Castro

6. What hangs on the wall of the old man’s shack?

(A) A photograph of his wife

(B) The latest baseball scores

(C) A mounted fish

(D) Pictures

7. On the night before he promises Manolin to go “far out” to sea, of what does Santiago dream?

(A) A great storm

(B) A beautiful woman

(C) Lions on the beach

(D) A wrestling match

8. Why does Santiago not let his lines drift like the other fishermen?

(A) He is a stubborn man who prefers the old-fashioned way of fishing

(B) He believes it is imprecise, and he strives always to be exact

(C) It is dangerous, as he might become tangled with another boat

(D) He is no longer young or strong enough to control a drifting line

9. What kind of fish does Santiago first catch?

(A) A tuna

(B) A marlin

(C) A shrimp

(D) A Portuguese man-of-war

10. How does the old man know immediately the size of the great marlin he has caught?

(A) Soon after taking the bait, the fish jumps into the air, showing itself to the old man

(B) Santiago has encountered this fish before as a younger man

(C) He pulls and pulls on the line and nothing happens

(D) He doesn’t know the size of the fish until after the sharks have attacked it

11. During his great struggle with the marlin, what does Santiago wish repeatedly?

(A) He wishes he were younger

(B) He wishes for better equipment

(C) He wishes that the fishermen who mocked him earlier were present to witness his victory

(D) He wishes that the boy, Manolin, were with him

12. In what year was The Old Man and the Sea published?

(A) 1950

(B) 1951

(D) 1953

13. As his first full day of fighting with the fish wears on, what does Santiago begin to think about his adversary?

(A) He praises the fish because it promises to bring a wonderful price at market

(B) He considers that he and the marlin are brothers, joined by the fact that they both ventured far out beyond all people and dangers in the water

(C) He detests the fish for its vigor and vitality

(D) He believes the fish is a test of his worth, sent to him by God

14. What does the weary warbler that lands on Santiago’s fishing line make the old man think of?

(A) The probability that he, like the bird, will never make it back to land

(B) The predatory hawks that await the bird’s arrival near land

(C) The hidden strength of the weak

(D) The beauty of the natural world

15. What happens to make Santiago curse the treachery of his own body?

(A) He gets seasick

(B) He has diarrhea

(C) His hand cramps

(D) He needs to sleep

16. In order to help himself catch the fish, what does Santiago do?

(A) He promises to pay more attention to Manolin upon his return

(B) He decides to recite ten Hail Marys and ten Our Fathers

(C) He lightens the boat by throwing all unnecessary weight overboard

(D) He ties the skiff to a buoy so that the fish cannot pull it farther out to sea

17. The great Joe DiMaggio suffers from what affliction?

(A) A bone spur

(B) Alcoholism

(C) A ruined knee

(D) Failing eyesight

18. To give himself confidence, Santiago remembers his contest with “the great negro of Cienfuegos.” At what sport did the old man beat this challenger?

(A) Fencing

(B) Tennis

(C) Arm wrestling

(D) Boxing

19. Why does the thought of selling the fish’s meat disappoint the old man?

(A) He knows people will cook the marlin, but it is best eaten raw

(B) Market prices are low, and Santiago will get only a fraction of what the fish is worth

(C) Because marlin has an unpleasant taste, Santiago wishes he caught something that made for better eating, like a shark

(D) The people who will eat the meat are unworthy

20. What does the old man remove and eat from the belly of a dolphin?

(A) Shrimp

(B) Flying fish

(C) Seaweed

(D) Piranha

21. How does Santiago finally kill the marlin?

(A) He harpoons it through the heart

(B) He stabs it between the eyes

(C) He lashes it to the inside of the boat

(D) He bashes its head with his club

22. How long does it take for the sharks to arrive and attack the marlin?

(A) Ten minutes

(B) One hour

(C) Six hours

(D) A full day

23. After the shark attack, Santiago reflects that destruction is inevitable. How does he articulate this philosophy?

(A) The world is such an inhospitable place that no death should be mourned

(B) Out, out, brief candle!

(C) Even the worthiest opponents must fall

(D) Everything in the world kills everything else in some way

24. What happens upon the old man’s return to his fishing village?

(A) Manolin promises to sail with him

(B) The fishermen mock Santiago for the folly of sailing out so far

(C) Tourists ask the old man to recount his adventures

(D) A statue is erected in his honor

25. The old man remembers that once, when he killed a female marlin, the male marlin

(A) Bit the tail off the female

(B) Returned with a posse of marlins seeking revenge

(C) Made a sound like there were nails being driven through his fins

(D) Swam alongside the boat as though in mourning