A good number of candidates attempted this question.

Candidates were expected to mention the following points:

• The contest between the sea and the old man is one that can be seen as between nature and man.
• The old man has been on his quest for eighty-four days without spotting a big fish. He is entirely helpless. He cannot decide where to catch fish with any certainty.
• The Shark takes over where the sea leaves off. They attack the fish he catches and do severe damage to it.
• The old man’s possession of a skiff, his fishing gear, his courage and tenacity as weapons against the might of nature.

A good number of candidates attempted this question. However, many of them gave a plot summary without linking it to how Santiago was floored by nature.

Candidates’ performance in the question was fair.