1. What makes Rainsford a little uncomfortable about the General?
(a) Zaroff refuses to answer Rainsford's questions.
(b) Zaroff keeps making strange jokes that Rainsford doesn't understand.
(c) Zaroff carries a pistol with him.
(d) Zaroff keeps staring at him.

2. On page 55, a tree is leaning "precariously" on another tree. How is the tree leaning?
(a) As if the tree that is leaning has only recently fallen.
(b) As if the tree it is leaning on is some kind of assistant or helper.
(c) In an unstable way, as if it might fall any minute.
(d) The two trees are so close that the leaning tree is still almost upright.

3. What does Rainsford keep telling himself after the first two hours or running from Zaroff?
(a) That it is only 3 days.
(b) That he does not deserve what is happening.
(c) That he was foolish to stand on the rail of the ship.
(d) That he has to keep his nerve.

4. On page 35, Zaroff says that Rainsford's attitude is "like finding a snuffbox in a limousine." What rhetorical technique is he employing?
(a) Simile.
(b) Alliteration.
(c) Understatement.
(d) Sarcasm.

5. Why does Rainsford have difficulty seeing the island from the ship?
(a) It is raining.
(b) There is no moon.
(c) He is looking in the wrong direction.
(d) He has bad eyesight.

Short Answer Questions

1. On page 1, the narrator says that the night "was palpable as it pressed its thick warm blackness in upon the yacht." What does "palpable" mean in this context?

2. What word does Zaroff use frequently to describe his life on the island?

3. On page 38, Zaroff calls something that Rainsford says "barbarous." What does this word mean in this context?

4. On what does Zaroff blame Rainsford's refusal to participate in murder?

5. When Rainsford introduces himself to the General's servant, what is the man's response?

(see the answer key)

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