View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What explanation does Zaroff give for his servant's not speaking to Rainsford?
(a) Only Zaroff is allowed to speak to visitors.
(b) The man only speaks Russian.
(c) The man can neither hear nor speak.
(d) The man has a phobia of strangers.

2. Which character says, on page 31, "Instinct is no match for reason"?
(a) Nielsen.
(b) Zaroff.
(c) Ivan.
(d) Rainsford.

3. What is surprising about General Zaroff's first remarks to Rainsford?
(a) He seems to have been expecting Rainsford.
(b) He already knows Rainsford's name.
(c) He seems to find Rainsford's situation very amusing.
(d) His accent is clearly not Russian.

4. Why does Zaroff no longer hunt tigers?
(a) He came to understand that they have feelings and thoughts, just like people.
(b) There are not enough tigers left to hunt them easily.
(c) He was wounded by a tiger.
(d) They do not challenge him enough.

5. On page 33, the narrator mentions that Zaroff has "surmounted" an obstacle. What has Zaroff done?
(a) Overcome an obstacle.
(b) Avoided an obstacle.
(c) Given up because of an obstacle.
(d) Created an obstacle.

6. Why did Zaroff leave Russia?
(a) Because of the Russian Revolution.
(b) He found the hunting in Russia had become dull.
(c) He was exiled by the Czar.
(d) He was looking for a place with more privacy.

7. What is unusual about the door knocker on Zaroff's house?
(a) It is in the shape of a gargoyle.
(b) It does not seem to make any sound.
(c) It is rusted into place.
(d) It is in the shape of a hunting dog's head.

8. Why does Rainsford have difficulty seeing the island from the ship?
(a) There is no moon.
(b) He is looking in the wrong direction.
(c) It is raining.
(d) He has bad eyesight.

9. Which word best describes the inside of Zaroff's house?
(a) Cozy.
(b) Forbidding.
(c) Stark.
(d) Luxurious.

10. As Rainsford begins to walk along the cliffside, what does he notice in the jungle?
(a) A fire burning somewhere deep in the jungle.
(b) That various traps have been set and that some are sprung.
(c) Signs of a large animal having been hunted and killed.
(d) Signs that the island is inhabited by many dangerous animals.

11. Why does Rainsford stand up on the ship's rail?
(a) He thinks that he hears gunfire.
(b) He is trying to reach something stuck in the rigging.
(c) He is trying to signal another ship.
(d) He has been drinking and is fooling around.

12. What makes Rainsford a little uncomfortable about the General?
(a) Zaroff keeps staring at him.
(b) Zaroff carries a pistol with him.
(c) Zaroff refuses to answer Rainsford's questions.
(d) Zaroff keeps making strange jokes that Rainsford doesn't understand.

13. Into what two groups does Rainsford divide up the world?
(a) Hunters and hunted.
(b) Strong and weak.
(c) Brave and cowardly.
(d) Thinkers and feelers.

14. When, on page 7, Rainsford "indolently [puffs] on his favorite brier," what is he doing?
(a) Eagerly smoking a cigarette.
(b) Thoughtfully smoking a cigarette.
(c) Lazily smoking a pipe.
(d) Vigorously smoking a pipe.

15. What does Zaroff imply he was afraid of when he realized that hunting had begun to bore him?
(a) That he was becoming weak and soft-hearted.
(b) Having a breakdown.
(c) Having to go home to Russia.
(d) That he was becoming a coward.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where are Rainsford and his partner headed?

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

3. On page 1, the narrator says that the night "was palpable as it pressed its thick warm blackness in upon the yacht." What does "palpable" mean in this context?

4. On page 1, the narrator says that the night "was palpable as it pressed its thick warm blackness in upon the yacht." What literary technique is being employed in this phrase?

5. What does Zaroff enjoy about hunting humans?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 641 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample