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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. When on page 31, the narrator says of Rip that he will "eat white bread or brown," how is Rip being characterized?

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

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

4. 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?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the relationship between Rip and his wife.

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

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

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

5. 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?

6. Describe the condition of Rip's children.

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

8. How is the setting of the Catskills described?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay in which you defend, refute, or qualify the proposition "Washington Irving's 'Rip Van Winkle' is a clear early example of American Romanticism." Be sure to offer textual evidence for your claims and cite all sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay in which you defend a claim about what you believe happened to Rip in the mountains. Were the strange men real? Ghosts? A dream? Did Rip make them up entirely? Use textual evidence to defend your point of view.

Essay Topic 3

Explain how Irving uses diction, detail, and figurative language to make the Catskill Mountains almost equivalent to another character in this story. Be sure to use textual evidence to defend your claims.

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