View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. 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 physically unable to do heavy labor.
(b) He is eager to work at anything that will help himself, but he does not like to help others.
(c) He is simply lazy.
(d) He hates working hard for his own material comfort and financial security.

3. Who is Peter Stuyvesant?
(a) The village schoolmaster.
(b) Rip's neighbor.
(c) A former governor of New York.
(d) The owner of the village inn.

4. After he can no longer spend time with his friends, where does Rip start going to spend time away from his home and farm?
(a) The woods.
(b) The river.
(c) The seashore.
(d) The barn.

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

6. 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 have violent arguments with each other.
(b) One bullies the other.
(c) They each have a skill that helps the other.
(d) One is embarrassed by the other.

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

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

9. What is Rip's son's name?
(a) Peter.
(b) John.
(c) Dutch.
(d) Rip.

10. 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) Metaphor.
(b) Simile.
(c) Alliteration.
(d) Understatement.

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

12. What kind of relationship does Rip have with the village children?
(a) He is a favorite of theirs because he plays with them and tells stories.
(b) He is a favorite of theirs because he steals apples from a nearby orchard for them.
(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.

13. Where does Rip spend time with his friends?
(a) Fishing in the Hudson River.
(b) On a bench outside the village inn.
(c) Hunting in the woods.
(d) Inside the bar of a local hotel.

14. Where is the village that Rip lives in?
(a) At the foot of the Appalachian Mountains.
(b) On the Atlantic coast.
(c) At the foot of the Catskill Mountains.
(d) On the island of Manhattan.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Under what pseudonym was "Rip Van Winkle" published?

2. What is Diedrich Knickerbocker's profession?

3. How might Rip's house be described?

4. Who is the author of "Rip Van Winkle"?

5. What evidence does the frame narrator give that the main story's narrator is still well-liked?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 642 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample