View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What technique is used in the phrase "toward a train lurking behind other trains"?
(a) Hyperbole.
(b) Personification.
(c) Cacophony.
(d) Conceit.

2. Who greets Ivanovich at the inn near the lake?
(a) The innkeeper.
(b) A goose.
(c) A puppy.
(d) A pretty girl.

3. At the inn near the lake, what nationality does Ivanovich believe the innkeeper to be?
(a) German.
(b) Russian.
(c) Austrian.
(d) Italian.

4. In the description of the "mother-of-pearl claws on his dirty toes," what is the man with whom Ivanovich spends the night being compared to (12)?
(a) A hidden gem.
(b) An animal.
(c) A statue.
(d) A laborer.

5. How does the text's language change when the group gets off the train at the last stop on the first day?
(a) The language becomes more conversational.
(b) The language becomes more grandiloquent.
(c) The language becomes more lyrical.
(d) The language becomes more circuitous.

6. What does the Bureau's song equate with solitude?
(a) Intellect.
(b) Independence.
(c) Criminality.
(d) Depression.

7. What description does the narrator give of the train car on page 5?
(a) It "echoes like a tin box."
(b) It is "unmistakably third-class."
(c) It "reeks of holiday revelry."
(d) It is "cattle-car bare."

8. What does Ivanovich associate with happiness?
(a) His friends.
(b) His childhood.
(c) Work.
(d) Music.

9. Who wrote the book that Ivanovich opens on the train?
(a) Donne.
(b) De Viau.
(c) Goethe.
(d) Tiutchev.

10. What is the "unusual expression" of the lake's water (14)?
(a) A cloud reflected in its center.
(b) An oddly red color.
(c) Waves moving away from the shore instead of towards it.
(d) Ripples that seem to follow Ivanovich along the shore.

11. The group leader wears "Tyrolese" clothing. What is true of his clothing?
(a) It is traditionally worn in the Austrian Alps.
(b) It is traditionally worn in the Black Forest region.
(c) It is traditionally worn by servants.
(d) It is traditionally worn by shepherds.

12. Why does the group make Ivanovich eat a cigarette butt?
(a) He tries to read his book.
(b) He loses a game.
(c) He accidentally trips one of the women.
(d) He speaks Russian in his sleep.

13. How late is Ivanovich running on the morning the tour leaves?
(a) 18 minutes.
(b) 1 minute.
(c) 12 minutes.
(d) 3 minutes.

14. What is discovered when the group members pool their food for dinner?
(a) Most of the food has been spoiled by the long journey.
(b) Some have brought very little food along.
(c) Ivanovich is the only one who has brought something different.
(d) The women are unwilling to prepare the food for the men.

15. Where is Ivanovich told he will need to get a "certificate of non-absence from the city for the summertime" (3)?
(a) From the Bureau of Pleasantrips.
(b) From his physician.
(c) From the police.
(d) From his employer.

Short Answer Questions

1. What technique is used in the story's title?

2. What detail of Ivanovich's appearance seems to impress the narrator?

3. What does the narrator say is "dangerous for the soul" (7)?

4. What does Ivanovich enjoy reading?

5. What does the narrator remember about the time of year in which the story takes place?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 553 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample