View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

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

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

4. 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.

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

6. What is Zaroff's response to being wounded by Rainsford?
(a) He moans.
(b) He yells.
(c) He laughs.
(d) He stares silently toward Rainsford's hiding place.

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

8. What spot on the island does Zaroff warn Rainsford to stay away from?
(a) The caves.
(b) The river.
(c) The swamp.
(d) The cliffs.

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

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

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

12. What is in General Zaroff's cellar?
(a) A torture chamber.
(b) The bodies of the men he has killed.
(c) His "training camp."
(d) The dogs' kennels.

13. When Rainsford is waiting in the tree, to whom does he compare Zaroff?
(a) The devil.
(b) Czar Nicholas.
(c) A soldier he knew in the war.
(d) Himself.

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

15. When Rainsford digs his pit trap, he is said to dig like what?
(a) A Russian serf.
(b) A beaver.
(c) A groundhog.
(d) A soldier.

Short Answer Questions

1. What supplies does Zaroff offer the men he hunts?

2. What kind of animals does Zaroff say are better than the people he hunts?

3. What word does Rainsford repeat three times and Zaroff call "unpleasant" (35)?

4. On page 39, General Zaroff says "It's a game, you see," and the reader realizes what about the story's title?

5. How much of a head start does Zaroff offer his victims?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 648 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample