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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which nation controls New York at the time when Rip and the village are introduced to the reader?
(a) Great Britain.
(b) Sweden.
(c) The United States.
(d) Holland.

2. Who is the author of "Rip Van Winkle"?
(a) Geoffrey Crayon.
(b) Diedrich Knickerbocker.
(c) Washington Irving.
(d) James Fenimore Cooper.

3. Who is "Dame" Van Winkle?
(a) Rip's mother.
(b) Rip's sister.
(c) Rip's daughter.
(d) Rip's wife.

4. What evidence does the frame narrator give that the main story's narrator is still well-liked?
(a) His portrait is hung in many local schools.
(b) His picture is stamped onto new year's cakes.
(c) There is a children's rope-skipping rhyme about him.
(d) There is a street in New York named after him.

5. On page 28, the reader is told that the narrator of the main story is known for "scrupulous" accuracy. What kind of accuracy is this?
(a) Thorough and honest.
(b) Approximate and imperfect.
(c) Reckless and indifferent.
(d) Demanding and critical.

6. Who is Peter Stuyvesant?
(a) The village schoolmaster.
(b) The owner of the village inn.
(c) Rip's neighbor.
(d) A former governor of New York.

7. On page 30, the reader is told that Rip has an "insuperable aversion to all kinds of profitable labour." What does this mean is true about him?
(a) He is physically unable to do heavy labor.
(b) He is eager to work at anything that will help himself, but he does not like to help others.
(c) He is simply lazy.
(d) He hates working hard for his own material comfort and financial security.

8. Where is the village that Rip lives in?
(a) On the island of Manhattan.
(b) On the Atlantic coast.
(c) At the foot of the Appalachian Mountains.
(d) At the foot of the Catskill Mountains.

9. What is Rip's son's name?
(a) Dutch.
(b) Rip.
(c) Peter.
(d) John.

10. What kind of relationship does Rip have with the village children?
(a) He is a favorite of theirs because he steals apples from a nearby orchard for them.
(b) The children are frightened of Rip because of his habit of talking to himself.
(c) The children are frightened of Rip because he is always yelling at his son and daughter.
(d) He is a favorite of theirs because he plays with them and tells stories.

11. After he can no longer spend time with his friends, where does Rip start going to spend time away from his home and farm?
(a) The river.
(b) The seashore.
(c) The barn.
(d) The woods.

12. Where does Rip spend time with his friends?
(a) Inside the bar of a local hotel.
(b) Fishing in the Hudson River.
(c) On a bench outside the village inn.
(d) Hunting in the woods.

13. What is Diedrich Knickerbocker's profession?
(a) Historian.
(b) Writer of novels.
(c) Farmer.
(d) Governor.

14. In the frame narrative, the reader is told that the main story's narrator gets his information from the wives of the "burghers" (28). Whose wives are these?
(a) The wives of prominent Dutch colonists.
(b) The wives of local indigenous leaders.
(c) The wives of country farmers.
(d) The wives of political officials.

15. From the description of Rip's attitude to his farm, on page 30, what can be deduced about Rip?
(a) His attitude toward his own family is similar to his attitude toward the villagers.
(b) He is devoted to his home and family.
(c) His farm is envied by many of his neighbors.
(d) He likes to make excuses instead of taking care of his responsibilities.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Rip's wife treat his dog?

2. Why does Rip stop spending time with his friends?

3. How might Rip's house be described?

4. Who is the frame narrator of "Rip Van Winkle"?

5. On page 29, the mountains are said to be "lording it over the surrounding country." This is an example of which literary technique?

(see the answer keys)

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