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

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

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

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

5. 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 fussy and somewhat embarrassing.
(b) That Rainsford's attitude is unpleasant and not particularly safe.
(c) That Rainsford's attitude is old-fashioned and out of place in the modern world.
(d) That Rainsford's attitude is charming but too delicate to survive.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does General Zaroff imply is true about hunting human beings?

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

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

4. What is the significance of the two trees, where one is leaning on the other?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain at least two ways in which the story's title can be understood.

2. What part of the island does Zaroff tell Rainsford to avoid, and what are at least two likely motives for his warning?

3. What does Zaroff say about the "strong" and the "weak" (35)?

4. What does Zaroff want to show Rainsford in the cellar and in the library, and what does this tell the reader about him?

5. How does General Zaroff react to Rainsford's various traps?

6. How does Zaroff characterize Rainsford's views on hunting human beings?

7. What allusion is contained in the sentence "I have played the fox, now I must play the cat of the fable," and what is the meaning of the allusion (50)?

8. What does the sentence "He was in a picture with a frame of water, and his operations, clearly, must take place within that frame" mean? (49)

9. During Rainsford's attempt to escape Zaroff, there are many references to animals. How are they used and what is their significance?

10. How does Rainsford finally escape Zaroff, and why is Zaroff foolish to assume that Rainsford is dead?

(see the answer keys)

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