1. Everything that happens to Rip on the morning after he meets the strangers on the mountain makes him feel "perplexities" (36). What does this mean that is Rip feeling?
(a) Angry.
(b) Confused.
(c) Surprised.
(d) Sad.

2. On page 29, the narrator says that a person might have "descried" the smoke from the village. What does this mean a person might have done?
(a) Seen it.
(b) Been puzzled by it.
(c) Complained about it.
(d) Explained its details.

3. What is the stranger on the mountainside carrying?
(a) A keg of alcohol.
(b) An antique gun and the carcass of a deer.
(c) A bowling ball and pins.
(d) Equipment for camping in the mountains.

4. On page 33, Rip complies with the stranger's request with "his usual alacrity." How does Rip comply?
(a) Cheerfully.
(b) Lazily.
(c) Quickly.
(d) Absentmindedly.

5. In the frame narrative, the reader is told that the main story's narrator gets his information from the wives of the "burghers" (28). Whose wives are these?
(a) The wives of prominent Dutch colonists.
(b) The wives of country farmers.
(c) The wives of local indigenous leaders.
(d) The wives of political officials.

Short Answer Questions

1. When, on page 37, Rip meets "a knowing, self-important old gentleman, in a sharp cocked hat," what is the reader meant to infer from the description of the hat?

2. What is the purpose of the stories in the Postscript?

3. What happens to Rip as a result of drinking the strangers' liquor?

4. Why does Rip stop spending time with his friends?

5. When Rip learns what has happened to his wife in his absence, how does he feel?

(see the answer key)

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