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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Zaroff enjoy about hunting humans?
(a) They sometimes escape him.
(b) It reminds him of being in the war.
(c) It breaks a powerful taboo.
(d) They can reason.

2. What explanation does Zaroff give for his servant's not speaking to Rainsford?
(a) The man only speaks Russian.
(b) The man has a phobia of strangers.
(c) Only Zaroff is allowed to speak to visitors.
(d) The man can neither hear nor speak.

3. What kind of people does Rainsford guess might live on the island?
(a) Hunters.
(b) Cannibals.
(c) War criminals.
(d) Missing sailors.

4. What is unusual about the door knocker on Zaroff's house?
(a) It does not seem to make any sound.
(b) It is in the shape of a gargoyle.
(c) It is rusted into place.
(d) It is in the shape of a hunting dog's head.

5. What do Rainsford and his partner intend to hunt?
(a) Jaguar.
(b) Wild Boar.
(c) Cape Buffalo.
(d) Antelope.

6. What does Zaroff imply he was afraid of when he realized that hunting had begun to bore him?
(a) Having to go home to Russia.
(b) That he was becoming weak and soft-hearted.
(c) Having a breakdown.
(d) That he was becoming a coward.

7. What do Rainsford and his partner disagree about?
(a) Whether hunting intelligent animals is ethical.
(b) Which of them is more courageous.
(c) Whether animals feel fear.
(d) Which of them is the better hunter.

8. On page 1, the narrator says that the night "was palpable as it pressed its thick warm blackness in upon the yacht." What does "palpable" mean in this context?
(a) Warning of bad things to come.
(b) Able to be felt or touched.
(c) Soft enough to be squeezed or manipulated.
(d) Dark and forbidding, gloomy.

9. Why did Zaroff leave Russia?
(a) He found the hunting in Russia had become dull.
(b) He was looking for a place with more privacy.
(c) Because of the Russian Revolution.
(d) He was exiled by the Czar.

10. Where are Rainsford and his partner headed?
(a) To Port Moresby.
(b) To Rio.
(c) To Ecuador.
(d) To South Africa.

11. On page 5, evil is described as "tangible." What would this mean is true about evil?
(a) It is a thing that you can perceive with your senses.
(b) It is a thing that can take over without you realizing it.
(c) It is a thing that can distract you from your real goals.
(d) It is a thing that can paralyze you with fear.

12. What is Zaroff's response to Rainsford's arrival?
(a) He seems confused and changes his mind twice about what to do with Rainsford.
(b) He is pleased to have company and gives Rainsford a tour of the house.
(c) He is welcoming and invites him to dinner.
(d) He seems suspicious and initially locks Rainsford in a bedroom.

13. Which animal does Rainsford call the most dangerous?
(a) Jaguars.
(b) Human beings.
(c) Tigers.
(d) Cape buffalo.

14. On page 33, the narrator mentions that Zaroff has "surmounted" an obstacle. What has Zaroff done?
(a) Avoided an obstacle.
(b) Given up because of an obstacle.
(c) Created an obstacle.
(d) Overcome an obstacle.

15. What is the name of the island on which the story takes place?
(a) Shipwreck Island.
(b) The island is unnamed.
(c) Sunken Ship Island.
(d) Ship-Trap Island.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is Rainsford's first reaction when he falls overboard?

2. Whom does Zaroff credit for his great abilities as a hunter?

3. When, on page 7, Rainsford "indolently [puffs] on his favorite brier," what is he doing?

4. Which word does the narrator use to describe General Zaroff's home?

5. What reason does Whitney give Rainsford for the sailors' fear of the island?

(see the answer keys)

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