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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. On page 43, Rainsford looks out the window and sees a "sallow" moon. What kind of moon does this mean he is looking at?
(a) A sickly yellow moon.
(b) A moon that sparkles with light.
(c) A moon that seems unfriendly.
(d) A narrow sliver of moon.

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

3. What is the significance of the two trees, where one is leaning on the other?
(a) Rainsford is sure that he has seen them before.
(b) Rainsford uses them to build his first trap.
(c) Rainsford knows that this is a trail marker.
(d) Rainsford uses the fallen tree to make a bridge to cross the river.

4. 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 a type of small boat.
(c) Rhymes with "stringy," and means dirty, dull.
(d) Rhymes with "stingy," and means dirty, dull.

5. When Rainsford insists on leaving the island, what is Zaroff's response?
(a) He stalls for time by pretending to send Ivan for a boat to take Rainsford off the island.
(b) He decides to send Rainsford down to the cellar.
(c) He decides that he will hunt Rainsford that evening.
(d) He pulls out his gun and tells Rainsford that he does not have a choice about staying on the island.

6. 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?
(a) Imagery.
(b) Hyperbole.
(c) Onomatopoeia.
(d) Simile.

7. If someone refuses to participate in Zaroff's hunting game, what does he do?
(a) Sets them adrift at sea.
(b) Gives them to his servant to be whipped to death.
(c) Makes them fight his servant to the death.
(d) Shoots them immediately.

8. What word does Zaroff use frequently to describe his life on the island?
(a) Righteous.
(b) Luxurious.
(c) Civilized.
(d) Lonely.

9. After Zaroff leaves, when Rainsford is lying in the tree and thinking over what has just happened, what emotion does Rainsford feel?
(a) Triumph.
(b) Regret.
(c) Terror.
(d) Anger.

10. What does Zaroff do if one of his victims is close to winning the game?
(a) He cheats by going back to the house for better weapons.
(b) He uses dogs to hunt them.
(c) He tricks them into thinking they have won and then kills them anyway.
(d) He just extends the time period that they have to survive through.

11. 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 charming but too delicate to survive.
(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 fussy and somewhat embarrassing.

12. What animal does Rainsford compare himself to when he climbs the tree?
(a) A bear.
(b) A monkey.
(c) A snake.
(d) A cat.

13. On page 50, Rainsford thinks of General Zaroff as "zealous." What kind of a person does this mean General Zaroff is?
(a) Extremely devoted and enthusiastic.
(b) Envious of others' abilities.
(c) Unable to tell the difference between reality and fantasy.
(d) The kind of person who says one thing but does another.

14. What animal does Rainsford try to think like during the first day of being hunted?
(a) A tiger.
(b) A jaguar.
(c) A Cape buffalo.
(d) A fox.

15. What kind of animals does Zaroff say are better than the people he hunts?
(a) Thoroughbreds.
(b) Predators.
(c) Farm animals.
(d) Wild animals.

Short Answer Questions

1. What justification does Zaroff give for his actions?

2. What does Zaroff believe fighting in the war should have taught Rainsford?

3. What is the result of Rainsford's pit trap?

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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