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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What evidence does the frame narrator give that the main story's narrator is still well-liked?
(a) His picture is stamped onto new year's cakes.
(b) There is a street in New York named after him.
(c) There is a children's rope-skipping rhyme about him.
(d) His portrait is hung in many local schools.

2. On page 29, the mountains are said to be "lording it over the surrounding country." This is an example of which literary technique?
(a) Onomatopoeia.
(b) Personification.
(c) Synechdoche.
(d) Hyperbole.

3. When on page 31, the narrator refers to Rip's wife's nagging as a "torrent of household eloquence," what tone is created?
(a) Maudlin.
(b) Farcical.
(c) Nostalgic.
(d) Ironic.

4. Which nation controls New York at the time when Rip and the village are introduced to the reader?
(a) The United States.
(b) Holland.
(c) Great Britain.
(d) Sweden.

5. What kind of relationship does Rip have with the village children?
(a) The children are frightened of Rip because of his habit of talking to himself.
(b) He is a favorite of theirs because he steals apples from a nearby orchard for them.
(c) He is a favorite of theirs because he plays with them and tells stories.
(d) The children are frightened of Rip because he is always yelling at his son and daughter.

6. Who is "Dame" Van Winkle?
(a) Rip's mother.
(b) Rip's daughter.
(c) Rip's sister.
(d) Rip's wife.

7. 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) Explained its details.
(b) Complained about it.
(c) Seen it.
(d) Been puzzled by it.

8. Under what pseudonym was "Rip Van Winkle" published?
(a) James Fenimore Cooper.
(b) Washington Irving.
(c) Diedrich Knickerbocker.
(d) Geoffrey Crayon.

9. In the epigraph from Cartwright's play, to whom does the speaker swear that he will be honest?
(a) The Celtic god, Alator.
(b) The Norse god, Odin.
(c) The Saxon god, Woden.
(d) The Christian God.

10. Who is Derrick Van Brummel?
(a) The owner of the village inn.
(b) The mayor.
(c) The schoolmaster.
(d) The owner of a local hotel.

11. What is true of Rip's children in the beginning of the story?
(a) They refuse to speak to him.
(b) They are somewhat neglected.
(c) They are much more like their mother than like Rip.
(d) They are dangerously unsupervised.

12. What is Rip's dog's name?
(a) Dog.
(b) Wolf.
(c) Dutch.
(d) Bear.

13. When on page 31, the narrator says of Rip that he will "eat white bread or brown," how is Rip being characterized?
(a) He only likes two kinds of bread.
(b) He is easy to please.
(c) He overeats.
(d) He is unaware of what he is eating.

14. On page 28, the reader is told that the narrator of the main story is known for "scrupulous" accuracy. What kind of accuracy is this?
(a) Approximate and imperfect.
(b) Demanding and critical.
(c) Reckless and indifferent.
(d) Thorough and honest.

15. On page 29, the setting sun causes something to light up and glow "like a crown of glory." This is an example of what literary technique?
(a) Alliteration.
(b) Understatement.
(c) Metaphor.
(d) Simile.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is the frame narrator of "Rip Van Winkle"?

2. Where is the village that Rip lives in?

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

4. Where does Rip spend time with his friends?

5. What is Diedrich Knickerbocker's profession?

(see the answer keys)

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