Name: ______________________________________________
The Cay Final Test Study Guide
Mix of multiple choices, true and false, fill in the blank, essay and short answer.
1. Who is the narrator of the story?
Phillip Enright
2. What is Timothy’s family like?
3. Where is Timothy from?
Timothy didn’t have a family. He was orphaned and a
was raised by a woman named Hannah Gumbs.
St. Thomas
4. Describe how you know Timothy is not educated.
Timothy is not educated at all. He has poor grammar and
speech. He doesn’t know how to read or spell.
5. Themes of the book:
Possible themes, include race, friendship, growing up,
change, overcoming difficulties, believing in yourself
6. What is Timothy’s bad news he has about the island? the island was surrounded by coral, inside the Devil’s
Mouth
7. What does Timothy call Phillip?
8. In the end, how long had Phillip been stranded?
Young Bahass
about 4 months
9. What supplies do they have on the raft?
Matches, Water in a Keg, Chocolate, 2 biscuits
10. Who owns Stew Cat?
the cook from the S.S. Hato
11. Why is Phillip motivated to clean up the island?
He had nothing left. The only thing to keep him going
was the possibility of being rescued.
He was sent to a naval ship, he reconnected with his
parents, after 3 surgeries he regained his sight.
12. What happened to Phillip after he was rescued?
13. What sickness did Timothy have?
Malaria
14. What do they have to be careful of while they are
on the raft?
15. How does Phillip feel about Henrik after being
rescued?
Sharks
16. What is the name of the ship they boarded?
He feels that he is “too old” for him. Phillip has
experienced much more than Henrik and he is more
mature.
The S.S. Hato
17. What major handicap does Phillip have?
He is blind.
18. What country governs the island of Curacao?
The Netherlands
19. What does Phillip burn to make black smoke?
Sea grape. The oil in it causes the black smoke.
20. Describe what happens as Phillip falls off the raft.
Phillip falls off the raft into shark infested waters. He
wasn’t crawling and Timothy told him he needed to.
Timothy had to save Phillip and pull him back onto the
raft.
21. What is the climax of the book?
The hurricane happening and Timothy’s death.
Name: ______________________________________________
22. What attacks Phillip at the fishing hole?
He thinks it is an eel.
23. What major event was going on in this time period?
24. What kind of job does Phillip’s dad have?
World War II
He worked in the oil refinery trying to increase the
production of aviation gas.
25. Why does Phillip have so many negative thoughts
about black people? Where do they come from?
His mother is very prejudiced (racist) and she influenced
his thoughts. He hears his mother talk about the African
Americans on Curacao and he believes what she does.
He compares their smells.
26. What is something Phillip compares between his
parents and Timothy?
27. How did Timothy protect Phillip from the storm?
He tied themselves to a tree, Timothy shielded Phillip
from the winds and blowing sand.
28. How was Phillip hurt on the boat?
He hit his head.
29. Why did the birds attack Phillip?
He stepped on their nesting ground.
30. How did they keep track of time on the island?
Phillip drops pebbles into a tin can.
31. What is Curacao?
an island off the cost of Venezuela.
32. How big was the island they found?
1 mile long and ½ mile wide.
33. What does Phillip mean when he says “There are
times when you are beyond tears.”?
Sometimes you are dealing with so many emotions, you
can’t handle what you are being dealt and you know that
crying won't make it any better.
34. Who is the author of The Cay?
Theodore Taylor
35. What happens to Timothy after the storm?
He never fully recovered from Malaria and his injuries
from the storm were too serious so he died.
36. What is the significance of the “jumbi” and Stew
Cat?
Timothy thinks that Stew Cat was possessed by the
jumbi (evil spirits)
37. Why is the sea angry?
There is a storm coming, and the war on the ocean.
38. What does Phillip do after Timothy dies?
he buries him and holds a funeral for him.
39. What does Timothy mean when he tells Phillip
“Your mother would never be knowing you now.”?
Phillip has changed a lot since his mom has seen him. He
is thinner and a lot tanner.
Know definitions for the following words:
refinery
catchment
aviation
calypso
voodoo
malaria
tempest
langosta
Characters: Be familiar with the following characters…
Phillip Enright- main character, 11 year old boy
Phillip Enright (dad)- Works for an oil refinery, helping with the war effort.
Grace Enright (mom)- prejudiced towards black people and hates Curacao.
schooners
navigation
Name: ______________________________________________
Henrik VanBoven- 11 year old, Phillip’s best friend.
Timothy- worked on the ship that was torpedoed, from St. Thomas, African
years old.
refinery- an industrial plant for purifying a substance
catchment collecting water, especially the collection of rainfall
voodoo
a religious belief practice mainly in the Caribbean
tempest a violent windstorm often accompanied by rain, snow or hail
schooners a type of sailing vessel
aviation the design, development, production, operation and use of aircraft
calypso a type of folk music in the West Indian culture
malaria
infectious disease with periods of chills, fever & sweating
langosta native lobster
navigation the science of charting a course for a ship or aircraft
American, about 70