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Name: _________________________ | Period: ___________________ |
This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. On page 30, the reader learns that Rip is "obsequious" and his wife is a "termagant." What can accurately be said about their relationship?
2. Who is "Dame" Van Winkle?
3. What kind of relationship does Rip have with the village children?
4. When on page 31, the narrator refers to Rip's wife's nagging as a "torrent of household eloquence," what tone is created?
5. How does Rip's wife treat his dog?
Short Essay Questions
1. What do Rip and his friends do when they gather together outside the village inn, and how does this characterize Rip?
2. Describe the contents of the story's epigraph and tell how this relates to the frame narrative.
3. Describe the relationship between Rip and his wife.
4. Describe how Rip's relationship with the dog contrasts with his wife's relationship with the dog.
5. Describe the condition of Rip's home and farm.
6. Explain the relationship of Washington Irving, Diedrich Knickerbocker, and Geoffrey Crayon.
7. Explain what the frame narrative says about the historian who recorded Rip's story--where does his work come from, and how reliable is it?
8. How is the setting of the Catskills described?
9. Describe the condition of Rip's children.
10. What relationship does Rip have with the village children, and how does it characterize him?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Write an analysis of the diction in "Rip Van Winkle." Offer a claim about its character and purpose: consider its elevation, is concreteness, and its connotative aspects. Be sure to offer quoted textual support for your claims.
Essay Topic 2
Write an essay in which you analyze the use of stories attributed to indigenous cultures in the "Postscript." Be sure to use textual evidence to defend your claims, and if you use outside sources, be sure to cite them in MLA format.
Essay Topic 3
The "termagant" wife is a frequent feature of Irving's work. Write an essay in which you consider from both a historical and literary perspective what the purpose of such a character might be. That is, how would such a character have been received in Irving's time? What literary precedent is there for a character of this nature? How does the inclusion of this type of character affect the plot and communicate theme? Be sure to offer textual evidence for your claims and cite all sources in MLA format.
This section contains 936 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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