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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. How does Wolf react to the stranger on the mountainside?

2. What happens to Rip as a result of drinking the strangers' liquor?

3. On page 35, Rip is "tempted to repeat the draught." How is the word "draught" pronounced?

4. From the reference to the painting in the parsonage, what can the reader deduce about the men that Rip meets in the mountains?

5. What does the man that Rip traveled up the mountainside with want Rip to do once they reach the other men?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Wolf's reaction to the stranger in the mountains, and how does it ironically relate to what happens upon Rip's return to the village?

2. When Rip reenters the village, what changes does he notice before he gets to his house?

3. What do the men in the amphitheater remind Rip of, and what is this meant to signify?

4. What does the man in the mountains want Rip's help with, and how does he communicate this?

5. Explain what the natural "amphitheater" is and how Rip and the stranger reach it.

6. When Rip wakes up in the mountains, what changes does he immediately notice?

7. As Rip tries to retrace his steps from the night before, what changes does he find on the mountainside itself?

8. What two things does Rip find the most unusual about the men in the amphitheater?

9. What noise does Rip hear as he and the stranger make their way up the mountain, and what does the noise later turn out to be?

10. What two things does Rip at first find odd about the stranger in the mountains?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an analysis of the diction in "Rip Van Winkle." Offer a claim about its character and purpose: consider its elevation, is concreteness, and its connotative aspects. Be sure to offer quoted textual support for your claims.

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

Write an essay in which you analyze the use of stories attributed to indigenous cultures in the "Postscript." Be sure to use textual evidence to defend your claims, and if you use outside sources, be sure to cite them in MLA format.

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This section contains 923 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample