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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. On page 30, the reader learns that Rip is "obsequious" and his wife is a "termagant." What can accurately be said about their relationship?
(a) They each have a skill that helps the other.
(b) One bullies the other.
(c) One is embarrassed by the other.
(d) They have violent arguments with each other.

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. On page 30, the reader is told that Rip has an "insuperable aversion to all kinds of profitable labour." What does this mean is true about him?
(a) He is eager to work at anything that will help himself, but he does not like to help others.
(b) He hates working hard for his own material comfort and financial security.
(c) He is physically unable to do heavy labor.
(d) He is simply lazy.

4. How might Rip's house be described?
(a) Inviting.
(b) Filthy.
(c) Expensive.
(d) Run-down.

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

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

7. Why does Rip stop spending time with his friends?
(a) His wife yells at them constantly.
(b) His friends move away to a bigger town.
(c) His friends decide that he is too lazy to be friends with.
(d) His wife tells him he cannot spend time with them anymore.

8. 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 political officials.
(c) The wives of country farmers.
(d) The wives of local indigenous leaders.

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

10. 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 children's rope-skipping rhyme about him.
(c) There is a street in New York named after him.
(d) His portrait is hung in many local schools.

11. How does Rip's wife treat his dog?
(a) She treats the dog the same way she treats Rip.
(b) She treats the dog better than anyone else in the family.
(c) She insists that the dog stay outside and earn its keep on the farm.
(d) She ignores the dog completely.

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

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

14. 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.

15. Who is the frame narrator of "Rip Van Winkle"?
(a) James Fenimore Cooper.
(b) Geoffrey Crayon.
(c) Washington Irving.
(d) Diedrich Knickerbocker.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is Peter Stuyvesant?

2. What is Rip's dog's name?

3. 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?

4. What is Rip's son's name?

5. From the description of Rip's attitude to his farm, on page 30, what can be deduced about Rip?

(see the answer keys)

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