The End of Something: 15 questions

Ernest Hemingway · 1925

Questions on the text, each answered in the book’s own words, with the minute you hear it.

Challenge a friend: 123BookWarThe text

1. 1. What came into the bay and was loaded with the cut of the mill?

   Answer The lumber schooners

   “The lumber schooners came into the bay and were loaded with the cut of the mill that stood stacked in the yard.”

   Hear it at 0:14 · in the text

2. 2. How many great saws did the schooner carry out of the bay?

   Answer Two

   “The schooner moved out of the bay toward the open lake carrying the two great saws, the traveling carriage that hurled the logs against the revolving, circular saws”

   Hear it at 0:33 · in the text

3. 3. How deep is the dark water where the bottom drops off from the sandy shallows?

   Answer Twelve feet

   “where the bottom dropped off suddenly from sandy shallows to twelve feet of dark water.”

   Hear it at 1:27 · in the text

4. 4. What fish are Nick and Marjorie going to the point to set night lines for?

   Answer Rainbow trout

   “They were trolling on their way to the point to set night lines for rainbow trout.”

   Hear it at 1:32 · in the text

5. 5. What does Marjorie say the ruin of the mill seems more like?

   Answer A castle

   “It seems more like a castle,” Marjorie said.”

   Hear it at 1:57 · in the text

6. 6. How many perch does Nick catch with his hands and cut the heads off?

   Answer Three

   “Nick caught three of them with his hands and cut their heads off and skinned them”

   Hear it at 3:08 · in the text

7. 7. What does Nick tell Marjorie she does not want to take out of her bait perch?

   Answer The ventral fin

   “You don’t want to take the ventral fin out,” he said. “It’ll be all right for bait but it’s better with the ventral fin in.”

   Hear it at 3:23 · in the text

8. 8. Where does Nick hook each of the skinned perch?

   Answer Through the tail

   “He hooked each of the skinned perch through the tail.”

   Hear it at 3:31 · in the text

9. 9. How does Marjorie hold the line as she rows the boat out over the channel-bank?

   Answer In her teeth

   “Then Marjorie rowed the boat out over the channel-bank, holding the line in her teeth, and looking toward Nick”

   Hear it at 3:36 · in the text

10. 10. What does Nick set across the butt of each rod to hold it solid?

    Answer A heavy slab of driftwood

    “Each time Nick set a heavy slab of driftwood across the butt of the rod to hold it solid and propped it up at an angle with a small slab.”

    Hear it at 4:04 · in the text

11. 11. What does Marjorie bring from the boat after they make the fire?

    Answer A blanket

    “Marjorie went to the boat and brought a blanket.”

    Hear it at 4:56 · in the text

12. 12. What is in front of Nick and Marjorie as they sit on the blanket?

    Answer The bay with the mouth of Hortons Creek

    “In back of them was the close second-growth timber of the point and in front was the bay with the mouth of Hortons Creek.”

    Hear it at 5:13 · in the text

13. 13. What does Nick say there is going to be tonight?

    Answer A moon

    “There’s going to be a moon tonight,” said Nick.”

    Hear it at 5:48 · in the text

14. 14. What does Nick answer when Marjorie asks “Isn’t love any fun?”

    Answer No

    “Isn’t love any fun?” Marjorie said. “No,” Nick said. Marjorie stood up.”

    Hear it at 7:23 · in the text

15. 15. What does Bill take from the lunch basket at the end?

    Answer A sandwich

    “Bill selected a sandwich from the lunch basket and walked over to have a look at the rods.”

    Hear it at 8:28 · in the text

“The End of Something,” first published in In Our Time (Boni & Liveright, New York, 1925). This text follows the Wikisource transcription of the 1925 first edition. Public domain in the United States.