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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. What animal does Rainsford compare himself to when he climbs the tree?

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

3. On page 55, a tree is leaning "precariously" on another tree. How is the tree leaning?

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

5. What spot on the island does Zaroff warn Rainsford to stay away from?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Zaroff ask Rainsford to promise him he will do if he wins the "game," and what is the result?

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

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. How does Zaroff obtain his victims?

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

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

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

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

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

10. 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)

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

From the very beginning, Connell offers the reader a number of clues about what will happen later in the story. Write an essay in which you analyze Connell's use of foreshadowing in this story; be sure to support your claims with textual evidence.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay in which you analyze how the use of a third-person point of view and an objective tone shapes the reader's feelings (mood) as they read "The Most Dangerous Game." Be sure to offer textual support for your claims.

Essay Topic 3

General Zaroff's ideas about civilization are shocking to Rainsford, but since he explicitly refers to World War I as a reason for believing what he believes, the reader should understand that Connell created this character to comment on a specific moment in history. Write an essay in which you analyze the relationship between Zaroff's ideas about civilization and the story's historical context. Support your claims with both historical and textual evidence; be sure to cite your sources in MLA format.

(see the answer keys)

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