20,000 Leagues Under The Sea

Question
1. In the beginning of the story, the
public on both sides of the Atlantic
is concerned about:
A. The Industrial Revolution
B. An unidentified sea creature
C. A world war
2. What government commissions a
ship to solve the problem?
A. The United States
B. England
C. France
3. What is the name of the ship?
A. The Ulysses S. Grant
B. The Queen Mary
C. The Abraham Lincoln
4. Who is the commander of the
ship?
A. Captain Farragut
B. Captain Lee
C. Captain Sherman
5. Who jumps to Aronnaxs aid
when he is thrown from the ship?
A. Conseil
B. Farragut
C. Ned Land
6. What is Ned Lands nationality?
A. French
B. Irish
C. Canadian
7. What is Captain Nemos real
name
A. Nemosis
B. He does not say
C. Neil
8. Nemo offers Aronnax a cigar
made from
A. tobacco
B. seaweed
C. caviar
9. Nemos underground cemetery is
a

A. Coal mine
B. coral reef
C. volcano
10. Nemo rescues a man who was
A. taking a bath in a lake
B. throwing rocks at the Nautilus
C. diving for pearls
11.Which character longs to eat
meat?
A. Land
B. Conseil
C. Aronnax
12. Which character was an
engineer?
A. Land
B. Nemo
C. Aronnax
13.Which character bought his
fiance fake pearls?
A. Land
B. Conseil
C. Aronnax
14. Which character is afraid of
encountering sharks on the pearl
hunt?
A. Land
B. Conseil
C. Aronnax
15. Which character always agrees
with Aronnax?
A. Land
B. Conseil
C. Aronnax

ESSAY TOPICS / BOOK REPORT

IDEAS
1. Write an essay describing the first
encounter between Captain Nemo and
the three men from Nemos
perspective. Make sure to include any
fears he might have about the men
escaping with his secrets.
2. What do you think happened to
the Nautilus after the incident with the
whirlpool? If it did not survive, how
might the end have been for Captain
Nemo? If it did, where did Nemo go
next?
3. Write an essay from the point of view
of one of the crewmen. How did you
meet Nemo? Why would you want to
give up your life to serve on
the Nautilus? Do you miss the land?
4. What do you think happened to
Aronnax, Conseil and Land when the
voyage was through? Did Land ever
return to sea? Did Aronnax become rich
and famous? Did Conseil continue to be
a servant?
5. Conseil appears complacent and
obedient throughout the entire novel.
What if he was working for Captain
Nemo all along, and plotted with him to
bring Aronnax on board.... Why might
Nemo want Aronnax on
the Nautilus? How might Conseil benefit
from a stay on the vessel?
6. Examine the character of Nemo from
a psychological perspective. What
motivates his anger? What are the
possible outcomes of his selfdestructive behavior?

7. Examine the role of national identity

in the novel. Aronnax, in particular,
seems obsessed with the nationality of
everyone he meets, why might this be?
Is the Nautilus like a sovereign nation?
Why or why not?
8. Write an essay comparing and
contrasting the characters of Aronnax
and Land. Show how Aronnaxs
dependence upon reason and intellect
and Lands dependence upon direct
experience make the men foils of one
another.
9. Is Conseil a flat character? Is there
anything more to his personality
besides subservience? If not, what is his
purpose in the novel?
10. Use the Nautilus as an example of
how scientific technology can be both
good and bad. Cite modern day
examples as well, such as stem cell
research or nuclear technology. Should
there be regulations to curb what
scientists study and how they apply
their discoveries to everyday life?
ANSWER KEY
1.) B
2.) A
3.) C
4.) A
5.) A
6.) C
7.) B
8.) B
9.) B
10.) C
11.) A
12.) B
13.) A
14.) C
15.) B