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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In what region is the island located?
(a) Off the coast of Ecuador.
(b) The South Pacific.
(c) The Caribbean.
(d) Off the coast of Africa.

2. Which is the best description of Rainsford when he is in the water?
(a) He is shocked at first but stays calm and thinks his situation through.
(b) He thinks the situation is amusing at first but rapidly realizes that it is serious.
(c) He panics and then is embarrassed because he is well-known for his courage.
(d) He is overconfident and thinks that nothing can harm him.

3. What does Zaroff say is the problem with ordinary big-game hunting?
(a) It wastes the life of an animal for no purpose.
(b) There are too many other great hunters in the world.
(c) It does not take the feelings of the prey animal into account.
(d) The prey animal has almost no chance of survival.

4. What explanation does Zaroff give for his servant's not speaking to Rainsford?
(a) The man only speaks Russian.
(b) The man has a phobia of strangers.
(c) Only Zaroff is allowed to speak to visitors.
(d) The man can neither hear nor speak.

5. What is Zaroff's response to Rainsford's arrival?
(a) He is welcoming and invites him to dinner.
(b) He is pleased to have company and gives Rainsford a tour of the house.
(c) He seems confused and changes his mind twice about what to do with Rainsford.
(d) He seems suspicious and initially locks Rainsford in a bedroom.

Short Answer Questions

1. When Zaroff says, on page 31, that there is "no greater bore than perfection," to what is he referring?

2. To what ethnic group do Zaroff and his servant belong?

3. What kind of people does Rainsford guess might live on the island?

4. What does Zaroff imply he was afraid of when he realized that hunting had begun to bore him?

5. What do Rainsford and his partner intend to hunt?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the early warning signs about Zaroff's island that Rainsford ignores.

2. How does Rainsford end up falling overboard?

3. Once he falls overboard, what does Rainsford do and what does it show about his character?

4. Describe the physical setting of Ship-Trap Island.

5. What is the disagreement between Rainsford and Whitney?

6. Describe the first encounter between Rainsford and Ivan.

7. How does the discussion of the Cape buffalo introduce a possible meaning of the story's title?

8. What does Rainsford find in the jungle as he is walking toward Zaroff's house, and what does he conclude from it?

9. Describe Rainsford's first impression of General Zaroff.

10. What layers of irony are later revealed about Rainsford's suggestion that cannibals might live on Ship-Trap Island?

(see the answer keys)

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