View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What word does the narrator say describes the appearance of "all creatures still unknown to us" (4)?
(a) "Drowsy."
(b) "Cryptic."
(c) "Formidable."
(d) "Innocent."

2. What does the narrator remember about the time of year in which the story takes place?
(a) It was shortly after the last snow melted.
(b) It was an exceptionally hot summer.
(c) The leaves had begun to turn.
(d) It was damp and cold.

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

4. What is the tour group doing in the passage that says "they raised dust along a highway" (12)?
(a) Walking.
(b) Fighting.
(c) Digging.
(d) Riding in a car.

5. What does Ivanovich feel is happening as the first night of the tour wears on?
(a) The other group members are starting to dislike Schramm.
(b) The others are melding together into one collective being.
(c) The others are becoming more tolerant of his eccentricities.
(d) The group leader is losing power to Schramm.

6. What is Ivanovich expected to carry during the second day of the tour?
(a) An extra rucksack.
(b) Bread.
(c) Sausage.
(d) His own boots.

7. What technique is used in the story's title?
(a) Non Sequitur.
(b) Asyndeton.
(c) Euphemism.
(d) Euphony.

8. From context, what is the likely meaning of the word "dactyl" in "On the other side...towered, arising from dactyl to dactyl, an ancient black castle" (14)?
(a) An image found in a metrical foot of poetry.
(b) A type of stone used in medieval constructions.
(c) A tower in the shape of a digit, like a toe or finger.
(d) An architectural figure of a bird.

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

10. 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 laborer.
(d) A statue.

11. What detail of Ivanovich's appearance seems to impress the narrator?
(a) His athletic physique.
(b) His elegant clothing.
(c) His neatly trimmed hair.
(d) His healthy complexion.

12. Who is depicted "in a low-cut gown" on page 4?
(a) Mercy.
(b) Fate.
(c) Temperance.
(d) Justice.

13. What technique is used in the phrase "Wispy clouds—greyhounds of heaven" (6)?
(a) Synechdoche.
(b) Metonymy.
(c) Metaphor.
(d) Allegory.

14. What relationship does Vasili Ivanovich have to the story's narrator?
(a) He is the man who was once in love with the narrator's wife.
(b) He is the narrator's former employee.
(c) He is a man whom the narrator met on a group tour.
(d) He is the narrator's brother-in-law.

15. Which of the following describes the group leader accurately?
(a) He has unusually long hair.
(b) He is missing one front tooth.
(c) He is badly sunburned.
(d) He has eyes of two different colors.

Short Answer Questions

1. The group leader is "lanky" (5). What does this mean is true about him?

2. Why does the group make Ivanovich eat a cigarette butt?

3. What is unusual about the four people who work together?

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

5. What instrument does one of the men insist on teaching Ivanovich to play?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 637 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample