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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. What is Zaroff's response to Rainsford's arrival?
(a) He seems suspicious and initially locks Rainsford in a bedroom.
(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 is welcoming and invites him to dinner.

2. What is unusual about the door knocker on Zaroff's house?
(a) It does not seem to make any sound.
(b) It is rusted into place.
(c) It is in the shape of a gargoyle.
(d) It is in the shape of a hunting dog's head.

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

4. Which character says, on page 31, "Instinct is no match for reason"?
(a) Zaroff.
(b) Nielsen.
(c) Ivan.
(d) Rainsford.

5. What is the name of the island on which the story takes place?
(a) Ship-Trap Island.
(b) The island is unnamed.
(c) Shipwreck Island.
(d) Sunken Ship Island.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is Rainsford's hunting partner?

2. What is the best description of the General's servant's clothing?

3. On page 33, the narrator mentions that Zaroff has "surmounted" an obstacle. What has Zaroff done?

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

5. As Rainsford begins to walk along the cliffside, what does he notice in the jungle?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Describe the first encounter between Rainsford and Ivan.

3. How does Rainsford end up falling overboard?

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

5. How did General Zaroff's early life prepare him to be a hunter?

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

7. What is the disagreement between Rainsford and Whitney?

8. In what ways does Zaroff show himself to be a good host?

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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