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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. 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 Saxon god, Woden.
(c) The Celtic god, Alator.
(d) The Christian God.

2. 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 are dangerously unsupervised.
(c) They refuse to speak to him.
(d) They are somewhat neglected.

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

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

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

Short Answer Questions

1. After he can no longer spend time with his friends, where does Rip start going to spend time away from his home and farm?

2. Who is Derrick Van Brummel?

3. Which nation controls New York at the time when Rip and the village are introduced to the reader?

4. How does Rip's wife treat his dog?

5. When on page 31, the narrator refers to Rip's wife's nagging as a "torrent of household eloquence," what tone is created?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the contents of the story's epigraph and tell how this relates to the frame narrative.

2. Describe how Rip's relationship with the dog contrasts with his wife's relationship with the dog.

3. What relationship does Rip have with the village children, and how does it characterize him?

4. Describe the condition of Rip's home and farm.

5. Explain the relationship of Washington Irving, Diedrich Knickerbocker, and Geoffrey Crayon.

6. What do Rip and his friends do when they gather together outside the village inn, and how does this characterize Rip?

7. Describe the condition of Rip's children.

8. How is the setting of the Catskills described?

9. Explain what the frame narrative says about the historian who recorded Rip's story--where does his work come from, and how reliable is it?

10. Describe the relationship between Rip and his wife.

(see the answer keys)

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