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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Rainsford end up alone on deck?

2. What is the name of General Zaroff's servant?

3. On page 5, evil is described as "tangible." What would this mean is true about evil?

4. Whom does Zaroff credit for his great abilities as a hunter?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. How does Rainsford end up falling overboard?

6. Describe Zaroff's dining room.

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

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

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

10. Describe the early warning signs about Zaroff's island that Rainsford ignores.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the significance of Ivan and Zaroff being Cossacks? Do some research on the history of the Cossack people, especially as it relates to serfdom and to the Czars of Russia. Then write an essay in which you analyze Connell's use of this detail to create meaning. Be sure to use textual evidence as support for your claims and to cite all sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

When Zaroff explains what kind of men he hunts, he makes it clear that he considers a particular sort of person beneath him--barely human. Write an essay in which you analyze his remarks to show what distinctions he is making between "types" of human beings and how this functions thematically in the overall story. Be sure to offer textual support for your claims.

Essay Topic 3

In what way is this story about more than hunting animals? Explain how this story comments on the way that human beings treat one another as much as it comments on how humans treat other animals. Be sure to offer textual support for your claims.

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