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The Old Man, the Sea, and You Trivia Quiz

A short but powerful tale that exhibits masterful narration, "The Old Man and the Sea" remains most popular among Hemingway's works. Cast your line and prepare for some questions!

A multiple-choice quiz by danceswithcows. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
danceswithcows

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
255,812

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
15

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
9 / 15

Plays
2641

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

Last 3 plays: gable (5/15), Winegirl718 (8/15), nikkanikachu (11/15).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 15

1. When the novel opens, how many days has it been since the old man last caught a fish? Hint

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Question 2 of 15

2. Where had the old man gone in his youth that he dreamed about every night? Hint

Spain

Jerusalem

Mecca

Africa

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Question 3 of 15

3. What does the old man call the sea? Hint

El mar

La mar

Agua

La agua grande

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Question 4 of 15

4. The gigantic marlin that provides the main conflict for the novel is the first thing the old man catches. True or false?

True

False

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Question 5 of 15

5. What handicap does Joe DiMaggio, the old man's favorite baseball player and idol of sorts, suffer from? Hint

Terrible headaches

Webbed feet

Bone spurs

Four fingered hands

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Question 6 of 15

6. The old man becomes highly embarrassed and ashamed when his hand cramps. True or false?

True

False

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Question 7 of 15

7. What type of sea creature does the old man catch (for food) that has flying fish in its belly? Hint

A tuna

A marlin

A Portugese man-of-war

A dolphin

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Question 8 of 15

8. As the conflict between the old man and the fish drags on, how does the old man view the fish? Hint

As a despised enemy

As an annoyance and waste of time

As a divine test sent by God

As a brother

9. To boost his confidence, the old man remembers a time back in his younger days when he had defeated a very strong man in an arm wrestling match that dragged on for a long time. A rematch was arranged, but why was the old man able to easily defeat him a second time? Hint

The man's arm had been injured the first time

The old man had cheated

The man was weary from working

He had broken the man's confidence

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Question 10 of 15

10. The first time the old man makes a promise to God, how many times does he vow to say both the "Our Father" and "Hail Mary" in order to kill the fish? Hint

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Question 11 of 15

11. Who or what does the old man repeatedly wish were with him? Hint

His wife

Something to drink

The boy

God

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Question 12 of 15

12. How does the old man kill the great marlin? Hint

He clubs it to death

He digs the knife into its brain

The old man does not directly kill the fish: it swallows the hook and that kills it

He harpoons it through the heart

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Question 13 of 15

13. To whom or what does the old man utter the curse "Bad luck to your mother?" Hint

A shark

The sea

The boy

A fisherman who ridicules the old man upon his return

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Question 14 of 15

14. What type of animal do tourists mistake the skeleton of the marlin for? Hint

A manatee

A whale

A shark

A dolphin

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Question 15 of 15

15. How does the novel end? Hint

The old man dreaming about his favorite place

The old man walking down the beach with the boy

The old man committing suicide

The old man tossing his fishing line aside and cursing the day he became a fisherman

Most Recent Scores

Oct 14 2024 : gable: 5/15
Oct 10 2024 : Winegirl718: 8/15
Oct 05 2024 : nikkanikachu: 11/15
Oct 02 2024 : bg853: 3/15
Sep 24 2024 : Guest 24: 14/15
Sep 19 2024 : Josechingon: 8/15
Sep 13 2024 : angostura: 15/15
Sep 10 2024 : WolfInSnow: 14/15
Sep 06 2024 : herma1504: 5/15

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. When the novel opens, how many days has it been since the old man last caught a fish?

Answer: 84

Although the old man held a previous record of 87 days, at the novel's opening he has gone 84 days without catching a fish. In the first 40 the boy (Manolin) had been with him, but his parents had agreed that the old man was finally "salao," or the worst form of unlucky. They insisted that the boy sail with someone else.

2. Where had the old man gone in his youth that he dreamed about every night?

Answer: Africa

When he was young, the old man journeyed to the beaches of Africa and saw lions playing on the beach. Every night, instead of great fish or his long gone wife, he dreams of the lions on the beach.

3. What does the old man call the sea?

Answer: La mar

The old man calls the sea "la mar" because he likes to think of it as a woman that gives or withholds great favors.

4. The gigantic marlin that provides the main conflict for the novel is the first thing the old man catches. True or false?

Answer: False

The old man actually hooks a tuna before catching the big one.

5. What handicap does Joe DiMaggio, the old man's favorite baseball player and idol of sorts, suffer from?

Answer: Bone spurs

Bone spurs are short, painful bony growths from normal bone. The old man doesn't know what they are, but he figures that if "the Great DiMaggio" suffers through them then he can certainly handle this fish.

6. The old man becomes highly embarrassed and ashamed when his hand cramps. True or false?

Answer: True

The old man does not even mind being cut on the hand as much as he does his hand cramping. He curses his left hand and feels ashamed when it curls into a claw.

7. What type of sea creature does the old man catch (for food) that has flying fish in its belly?

Answer: A dolphin

Knowing he needs nutrition, the old man lowers another one of his lines and manages to catch a dolphin. Inside the dolphin's belly, the old man finds two flying fish.

8. As the conflict between the old man and the fish drags on, how does the old man view the fish?

Answer: As a brother

The old man clearly has great respect for nature, and views the fish as an equal and a brother, but that does not stop his determination to kill him.

Answer: He had broken the man's confidence

After defeating the man for the first time, the old man was referred to as "El Campion" or "the Champion." A rematch was arranged, but the old man had already broken the other man's confidence and had easily defeated him.

10. The first time the old man makes a promise to God, how many times does he vow to say both the "Our Father" and "Hail Mary" in order to kill the fish?

Answer: 10

To ease his suffering and perhaps gain divine intercession, the old man promises to say ten "Our Father"s and ten "Hail Mary"s. The old man remarks that "Our Father"s are easier to say than "Hail Mary"s.

11. Who or what does the old man repeatedly wish were with him?

Answer: The boy

The old man constantly wishes that the boy were with him, especially when his trials get particularly tough or when he is just feeling lonely.

12. How does the old man kill the great marlin?

Answer: He harpoons it through the heart

The marlin begins to circle the old man's skiff, and when it gets close enough he harpoons it through the heart. The marlin makes one last dramatic jump and then dies.

13. To whom or what does the old man utter the curse "Bad luck to your mother?"

Answer: A shark

The old man sees the first of many sharks that attack the bleeding fish carcass. Knowing that bad times are coming, the old man curses the shark's mother then kills it.

14. What type of animal do tourists mistake the skeleton of the marlin for?

Answer: A shark

Two tourists see the skeleton of the marlin attached to the old man's skiff and mistake it for a shark's.

15. How does the novel end?

Answer: The old man dreaming about his favorite place

The novel fittingly ends with the old man dreaming about the lions in Africa.

Source: Author danceswithcows

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