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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. What animal does Rainsford compare himself to when he climbs the tree?
(a) A snake.
(b) A cat.
(c) A monkey.
(d) A bear.

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

3. How does Zaroff obtain his victims?
(a) He has a false channel light that lures ships onto the rocks.
(b) He has artillery that he fires on passing ships, hoping to sink them.
(c) He and his servant capture them on the mainland.
(d) He advertises for people to come work on his island.

4. What does Zaroff do if one of his victims is close to winning the game?
(a) He uses dogs to hunt them.
(b) He tricks them into thinking they have won and then kills them anyway.
(c) He cheats by going back to the house for better weapons.
(d) He just extends the time period that they have to survive through.

5. What kind of animals does Zaroff say are better than the people he hunts?
(a) Farm animals.
(b) Wild animals.
(c) Predators.
(d) Thoroughbreds.

Short Answer Questions

1. On page 35, Zaroff says that Rainsford's attitude is "like finding a snuffbox in a limousine." What does he mean by this?

2. What does Rainsford keep telling himself after the first two hours or running from Zaroff?

3. What is most clearly implied by the last line of this story?

4. What is in General Zaroff's cellar?

5. What word does Rainsford repeat three times and Zaroff call "unpleasant" (35)?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How does Rainsford finally escape Zaroff, and why is Zaroff foolish to assume that Rainsford is dead?

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

5. How does Zaroff obtain his victims?

6. During Rainsford's attempt to escape Zaroff, there are many references to animals. How are they used and what is their significance?

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

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

9. What does Zaroff say about the "strong" and the "weak" (35)?

10. What allusion is contained in the sentence "I have played the fox, now I must play the cat of the fable," and what is the meaning of the allusion (50)?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,165 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample