Flush

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-book review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Which is the most logical interpretation of the book’s characterization of Paine and his son versus its characterization of Dusty and his son?

A)Working in a family business can stunt a young person’s emotional growth.

B) Fathers influence sons more than their mothers do.

C) People who are greedy and unethical are more successful in business.

D) Children acquire their morals and behavior from their parents.

2. Over the course of the novel, which lesson does Paine most clearly learn?

A) Sometimes dramatic action is required to stop the powerful from abusing their power.

B) The natural environment has an almost unlimited ability to protect and heal itself.

C) Catching criminals is the business of law enforcement, not private citizens.

D) An adult should pay attention to their family’s needs and help shoulder the responsibility of running a household.

3. At which moment in the story does Paine seem to be truly ready to give up the fight against Dusty?

A) When he is sent back to jail

B) When Abbey goes missing

C) When he learns that Lice may have been murdered

D) When Donna threatens to divorce him

4. Which part of the story best shows the novel’s thematic concern with the fragility of the environment?

A) Shelly’s willingness to help catch Dusty

B) Noah and Abbey’s visit to Thunder Beach

C) The reappearance of Grandpa Bobby

D) Bull’s apology to Noah and Abbey

5. What can reasonably be concluded from the behavior of Grandpa Bobby, Paine, and Noah?

A) The Underwood men encourage each other’s irresponsibility.

B) Noah is much more like his grandfather than he is like his father.

C) The Underwood men’s behavior is less extreme with each generation.

D) Putting others’ needs before their own comes naturally to all three.

6. What can reasonably be concluded from Jasper’s and Bull’s behavior throughout the story?

A) Most of Bull’s bad behavior is a result of his being bullied by Jasper.

B) They are both aggressive and self-centered, but Bull has more of a conscience than Jasper does.

C) Bull functions more like an employee than a friend in Jasper’s life, which contributes to Jasper’s insecurity.

D) Both feel guilty about helping Dusty damage the environment, but they have little choice about helping him.

7. What is Paine’s main role in the plot of Flush?

A) He creates obstacles for the protagonist to overcome.

B) He creates plot twists with unpredictable behavior.

C) He rescues others from the consequences of their actions.

D) He inspires the actions of other characters.

8. What do Shelly’s work on the Coral Queen, Billy Babcock’s role in Dusty’s organization, and Noah and Abbey’s attempts to catch Dusty all have in common?

A) They all involve spying.

B) They are all motivated by money.

C) They are all responses to bullying.

D) They all cause unintended harm to others.

9. What is similar about Dusty’s, Paine’s, and Grandpa Bobby’s relationships to their boats?

A) Their love for their boats shows how much all three love the Florida Keys.

B) All three men are willing to sacrifice their boats for the greater good.

C) The choices they make with their boats illustrate what each man values most in life.

D) They all use their boats to show off and impress other people.

10. Which detail in the novel can reasonably be interpreted as a symbol for elusive dreams?

A) The fuchsia dye

B) The green flash

C) The ankle monitor

D) The capsized johnboat

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. How does Dusty use his economic power to escape the consequences of his own actions?

2. How does Hiaasen use Thunder Beach to personalize dangers to the environment and create empathy for the Underwoods?