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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. When, on page 7, Rainsford "indolently [puffs] on his favorite brier," what is he doing?
(a) Lazily smoking a pipe.
(b) Eagerly smoking a cigarette.
(c) Vigorously smoking a pipe.
(d) Thoughtfully smoking a cigarette.

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

3. On page 1, the narrator says that the night "was palpable as it pressed its thick warm blackness in upon the yacht." What does "palpable" mean in this context?
(a) Dark and forbidding, gloomy.
(b) Soft enough to be squeezed or manipulated.
(c) Able to be felt or touched.
(d) Warning of bad things to come.

4. Why does Rainsford stand up on the ship's rail?
(a) He is trying to reach something stuck in the rigging.
(b) He is trying to signal another ship.
(c) He thinks that he hears gunfire.
(d) He has been drinking and is fooling around.

5. What does Zaroff tell Rainsford he lives for?
(a) Luxury.
(b) Games.
(c) Power.
(d) Danger.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which is the best description of Rainsford when he is in the water?

2. Who is Rainsford's hunting partner?

3. What makes the General's servant intimidating when he first opens the door?

4. What explanation does Zaroff give for his servant's not speaking to Rainsford?

5. Who is the captain of the ship that Rainsford travels on?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Rainsford end up falling overboard?

2. Describe the first encounter between Rainsford and Ivan.

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

4. What warning signs are present in Zaroff's banter about Cossacks?

5. What clues does Connell give right away that the relationship between Ivan and Zaroff developed in the military?

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

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

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

9. Describe General Zaroff's house.

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

(see the answer keys)

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