2. What justification does Zaroff give for his actions?
(a) He kills his victims quickly and as painlessly as possible.
(b) He is only hunting lower class people.
(c) He does give his victims a choice.
(d) He is only hunting non-Christians.

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

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

5. On page 35, General Zaroff criticizes Rainsford's "scruples." What is he criticizing?
(a) Rainsford's hesitation to do something that he thinks is wrong.
(b) Rainsford's eagerness to condemn Zaroff's "game."
(c) Rainsford's anger on behalf of Zaroff's victims.
(d) Rainsford's religious beliefs.

Short Answer Questions

1. What word does Zaroff use frequently to describe his life on the island?

2. What is Zaroff's response to being wounded by Rainsford?

3. Into what two groups does Zaroff divide up the world?

4. What animal does Rainsford try to think like during the first day of being hunted?

5. When Rainsford says that he is not a murderer, the General calls him "droll" (35). What is Zaroff saying about Rainsford?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does General Zaroff's definition of "civilized" seem to be?

2. What disagreement do Zaroff and Rainsford have about the difference between "hunting" and "murder"?

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

4. 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)

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

6. 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)?

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

8. What are the terms of General Zaroff's "game"?

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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