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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. On page 43, Rainsford looks out the window and sees a "sallow" moon. What kind of moon does this mean he is looking at?
(a) A moon that sparkles with light.
(b) A moon that seems unfriendly.
(c) A sickly yellow moon.
(d) A narrow sliver of moon.

2. What word does Rainsford repeat three times and Zaroff call "unpleasant" (35)?
(a) Murder.
(b) Prey.
(c) Criminal.
(d) Weakness.

3. What is the result of Rainsford's final trap?
(a) The general is stabbed in the shoulder.
(b) The general's favorite dog is killed.
(c) The general's servant is killed.
(d) Rainsford loses his knife without accomplishing anything.

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

5. For how long does someone have to elude the General in order to win the game?
(a) 1 month.
(b) 3 days.
(c) 1 week.
(d) A full 24 hours.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is in General Zaroff's cellar?

2. What justification does Zaroff give for his actions?

3. On page 51, the word "dingy" is used. How is this word pronounced, and what does it mean?

4. What is the result of Rainsford's pit trap?

5. On page 35, Zaroff says that Rainsford's attitude is "like finding a snuffbox in a limousine." What rhetorical technique is he employing?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. 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)?

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

5. 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)

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

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

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

9. How does Zaroff obtain his victims?

10. Describe General Zaroff's actions when Rainsford is hiding in the tree.

(see the answer keys)

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