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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. What makes the General's servant intimidating when he first opens the door?
(a) He shoves Rainsford back and refuses to allow him inside.
(b) He is huge and is holding a gun.
(c) He has a deep scar on one side of his face.
(d) He blocks Rainsford from seeing into the house.

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

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

5. What do Rainsford and his partner intend to hunt?
(a) Cape Buffalo.
(b) Antelope.
(c) Jaguar.
(d) Wild Boar.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the best description of the General's servant's clothing?

2. What does Rainsford see is true about three sides of Zaroff's house?

3. What is Rainsford's first reaction when he falls overboard?

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

5. Why did Zaroff leave Russia?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Describe Zaroff's dining room.

3. Describe General Zaroff's house.

4. Describe the physical setting of Ship-Trap Island.

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

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

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

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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