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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. On page 51, the word "dingy" is used. How is this word pronounced, and what does it mean?
(a) Rhymes with "stingy," and means a type of small boat.
(b) Rhymes with "stringy," and means dirty, dull.
(c) Rhymes with "stingy," and means dirty, dull.
(d) Rhymes with "stringy," and means a type of small boat.

2. What word does Rainsford repeat three times and Zaroff call "unpleasant" (35)?
(a) Murder.
(b) Prey.
(c) Weakness.
(d) Criminal.

3. What does Zaroff believe fighting in the war should have taught Rainsford?
(a) That human life is not inherently valuable.
(b) To keep a level head when he is in danger.
(c) How to hunt for human beings.
(d) That nothing in life is fair.

4. On page 35, General Zaroff criticizes Rainsford's "scruples." What is he criticizing?
(a) Rainsford's hesitation to do something that he thinks is wrong.
(b) Rainsford's anger on behalf of Zaroff's victims.
(c) Rainsford's religious beliefs.
(d) Rainsford's eagerness to condemn Zaroff's "game."

5. How much of a head start does Zaroff offer his victims?
(a) 1 hour.
(b) 1 day.
(c) 1/2 day.
(d) 3 hours.

6. On page 35, Zaroff says that Rainsford's attitude is "like finding a snuffbox in a limousine." What does he mean by this?
(a) That Rainsford's attitude is fussy and somewhat embarrassing.
(b) That Rainsford's attitude is old-fashioned and out of place in the modern world.
(c) That Rainsford's attitude is unpleasant and not particularly safe.
(d) That Rainsford's attitude is charming but too delicate to survive.

7. When Zaroff realizes that he is the one in danger and moves out of the way, to what does the narrator compare his quick movement?
(a) An ape.
(b) A hunting dog.
(c) A cheetah.
(d) A snake.

8. On page 49, Rainsford thinks that running away from the chateau in a straight line is "futile." What kind of a plan is "futile"?
(a) One that is guaranteed to succeed.
(b) One that is unexpected.
(c) One that is predictable.
(d) One that will end in failure.

9. How does Zaroff obtain his victims?
(a) He has artillery that he fires on passing ships, hoping to sink them.
(b) He has a false channel light that lures ships onto the rocks.
(c) He advertises for people to come work on his island.
(d) He and his servant capture them on the mainland.

10. Before Zaroff hunts people, what does he usually do with them?
(a) Makes sure that they are tired and hungry.
(b) Trains them and gets them into shape.
(c) Uses them as unpaid labor.
(d) Treats them as honored guests.

11. What does General Zaroff imply is true about hunting human beings?
(a) It is modern and civilized.
(b) It is the true expression of human instinct.
(c) It is terrible but necessary.
(d) It is the right way to deal with criminals.

12. How does Rainsford finally succeed in getting away from Zaroff?
(a) He hides in the swamp.
(b) He hides in a cave.
(c) He jumps from a cliff into the ocean.
(d) He fools Zaroff into thinking he has drowned in the river.

13. On page 38, Zaroff calls something that Rainsford says "barbarous." What does this word mean in this context?
(a) Ridiculous.
(b) Cruel and uncivilized.
(c) Unimaginative.
(d) Willfully ignorant.

14. What is it implied that Zaroff keeps in his library?
(a) Chloroform.
(b) The keys to his boat.
(c) Souvenirs from the war.
(d) Human heads.

15. What is the result of Rainsford's final trap?
(a) Rainsford loses his knife without accomplishing anything.
(b) The general is stabbed in the shoulder.
(c) The general's servant is killed.
(d) The general's favorite dog is killed.

Short Answer Questions

1. On page 59, Rainsford's waiting is described with the phrase "He lived a year in a minute." What literary technique is being used here?

2. What does Rainsford keep telling himself after the first two hours or running from Zaroff?

3. On page 55, a tree is leaning "precariously" on another tree. How is the tree leaning?

4. On page 50, Rainsford thinks of General Zaroff as "zealous." What kind of a person does this mean General Zaroff is?

5. What is most clearly implied by the last line of this story?

(see the answer keys)

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