Name: ______
The Cay Quiz Study Guide
1. How did Phillip feel about Timothy?
a) like he was different - to be avoided
b) like he was lucky
c) glad he was there to take care of him
d) as a best friend
2. How did Phillip react to being blind?
a) He jumped off the raft and blindly began thrashing about.
b) He felt a great pain in his head.
c) He quietly accepted it.
d) He was overcome with anger and began hitting Timothy.
3. Read the following paragraphs.
"Look at d'sun." he ordered. His hands pointed my face. I felt the strong warmth against it, but everything was black.
The silence seemed to last forever as he held my face toward the sun. Then a long, shuddering sigh came from his great body. He said, very gently, "Now, young bahss, you mus' lie downg an' rest. What 'as happen will go 'way.'Tis all natural temporary." But his voice was hollow.
Why does Timothy become quiet at this point in the story?
a) Timothy is thinking about the supplies he and Phillip must carefully ration.
b) Timothy is trying to think of the medical training he had while in Barbados.
c) Timothy is worried that Phillip's blindness may not go away.
d) Timothy is wishing he had not saved Phillip's life by pulling him onto the raft.
4. Timothy thought Stew Cat ______.
a) was a good companion for Phillip to calm him in this scary time
b) was a nuisance only to be tolerated
c) was bad luck
d) was better off dead
5. Phillip did not want to go to the island Timothy spotted because ______.
a) the island was surround with coral, and he was afraid the raft would be torn to
pieces
b) he thought the sharks would attack the raft when it got into shallow water
c) he wanted to stay on the raft until they found a big island with people on it
d) he heard natives and thought they would be in danger if they approached the
island
6. How did Phillip feel when Timothy went to explore the island?
a) ready to go exploring too
b) frightened
c) brave
d) lonely
7. Phillip had to help Timothy with the rocks because _____.
a) it was getting late in the day and they wanted to hurry and finish the task so they
could eat supper
b) Timothy had hurt his back
c) the rocks were heavy
d) Timothy could not spell
8. Phillip begins to change his mind about Timothy when ______.
a) Phillip realizes that Timothy's parents were from Africa
b) Timothy tells him of his childhood
c) Timothy brings lobsters in for supper
d) he realizes that Timothy is working to make the rope for him
9. Which sequence best describes the order of events in these chapters?
1. Phillip moved close to Timothy’s big body before going to sleep thinking that he
felt neither white nor black.
2. Timothy wants Phillip to weave a sleeping mat, but Phillip throws down the palm
fibers.
3. Phillip and Timothy stay out in the cool rain for twenty or thirty minutes.
4. Phillip calls Timothy an ugly black man.
a) 1, 2, 3, 4
b) 4, 1, 2, 3
c) 2, 4, 3, 1
d) 2, 4, 1, 3
10. What is the implied theme of this literary text?
a) survival of the fittest
b) war is senseless
c) overcoming prejudice
d) conquering the fear of the sea
11. Phillip thought Timothy wanted him to be independent because _____.
a) Timothy was tired of doing all the work and wanted Phillip to help
b) Timothy didn't want Phillip just to mope around all the time
c) of the possibility that Timothy might die and leave Phillip alone
d) Timothy felt like a parent to Phillip teaching him how to grow up
12. Timothy believes that Stew Cat is a jumbi. He is convinced ______.
a) that there is an evil spirit in Stew Cat that is causing them bad luck.
b) that Stew cat is the largest cat in the whole Caribbean
c) that Stew Cat can communicate with the dead
d) that Stew Cat will bring good fortune and a happy outcome
13. What is the correct sequence for Chapter 12?
1. Timothy becomes delirious; he just laughs and mumbles.
2. Eventually his fever breaks and Timothy wakes up, asking how he got on the
beach.
3. Phillip awakens one morning in May to find Timothy taking ragged breaths,
fighting for air.
4. Phillip says Timothy never really regained his strength after that.
5. Phillip goes down to the beach and finds Timothy in the water. He drags him to
shore.
a) 3, 5, 2, 1, 4
b) 1, 2, 3, 5, 4
c) 3, 1, 5, 2, 4
d) 5, 3, 1, 4, 2
14. Timothy kept track of how many days he and Phillip had been on the island by dropping pebbles
in an old can. When Phillip counted the pebbles he figured they had been on the island ______.
a) for six months
b) for 48 days
c) for one week
d) for a year
15. All of the following were preparations for the upcoming storm EXCEPT ______.
a) taking Stew Cat to safety
b) eating a large meal of fish and coconut
c) tying the water keg to the highest palm tree
d) stripping off everything usable from the raft and carrying it up the hill
16. During the worst part of the storm, ______.
a) Phillip passes out
b) Timothy screams out
c) the night is as black as pitch
d) the ocean waves just about reach Timothy and Phillip
17. Which of the following details show that Timothy knew he might not survive the storm?
a) Phillip finds a coconut in a mass of sea grape.
b) Phillip finds a dozen fishing poles with barbed hooks and bolt sinkers that Timothy has lashed to a tree for him.
c) Phillip finds a stash of supplies including two pieces of chocolate, fish, and eggs that Timothy put away for him.
d) Timothy teaching Phillip how to catch lizards and roast them for a meal.
18. How does the setting emphasize Phillip’s internal conflict in the story?
a) Being on the cay makes Phillip feel alone and isolated.
b) Being on the cay provides a new and unique experience for Phillip.
c) The violence of the storm on the cay emphasizes the violent nature of Phillip.
d) The cay is a peaceful surrounding that causes Phillip to feel calm and relaxed.
19. All of the following are themes of The Cay EXCEPT ______.
a) survival - Timothy and Phillip must learn to survive by first gathering food, then building
shelter,and finally against a storm.
b) race - After becoming blind, Phillip learns that people should not be judged by the color
of theirskin, but on the content of their character.
c) family - Phillip's parents play a large role advising Phillip throughout the entire book,
especiallyPhillip's father who teaches Phillip how to be adjust to losing his eyesight.
d) friendship - Timothy and Phillip couldn't be more different. Despite their differences,
these twoindividuals create a friendship based on mutual respect and love.
20. Which sentence from The Cay is an opinion?
a) I sharpened a stick the way Timothy had done.
b) The crazy cat rubbed along my leg and purred.
c) I dived to the bottom, holding the sharp stick in my left hand now and using my
right hand to feel the coral and rocks.
d) I went straight down, touched the bottom, and then took a few strokes toward the
coral sides of the pool.
21.How does Phillip feel about Henrik when he returns to Curaçao?
a) distant - Phillip has changed too much to go back to playing the war games with
Henrik.
b) best buddies - The friends feel like they were never apart.
c) comfort - Phillip leans on Henrik who offers him comfort and companionship
during a really tough time.
d) outsider - Phillip considers Henrik an outsider since he did not go through the
same experiences that Phillip did. He tells Henrik that they can never be friends
again.