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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 supplies does Zaroff offer the men he hunts?
(a) Food and a knife.
(b) A map and matches.
(c) A flashlight and a map.
(d) Rope, matches, and food.

2. What does Zaroff believe fighting in the war should have taught Rainsford?
(a) To keep a level head when he is in danger.
(b) That human life is not inherently valuable.
(c) That nothing in life is fair.
(d) How to hunt for human beings.

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

4. On page 43, Rainsford looks out the window and sees a "sallow" moon. What kind of moon does this mean he is looking at?
(a) A sickly yellow moon.
(b) A moon that seems unfriendly.
(c) A narrow sliver of moon.
(d) A moon that sparkles with light.

5. When Rainsford insists on leaving the island, what is Zaroff's response?
(a) He pulls out his gun and tells Rainsford that he does not have a choice about staying on the island.
(b) He decides to send Rainsford down to the cellar.
(c) He stalls for time by pretending to send Ivan for a boat to take Rainsford off the island.
(d) He decides that he will hunt Rainsford that evening.

Short Answer Questions

1. On page 51, Rainsford's night is said to be "apprehensive." What kind of a night is it?

2. When Zaroff realizes that he is the one in danger and moves out of the way, to what does the narrator compare his quick movement?

3. On page 35, General Zaroff criticizes Rainsford's "scruples." What is he criticizing?

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

5. After Zaroff leaves, when Rainsford is lying in the tree and thinking over what has just happened, what emotion does Rainsford feel?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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)?

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

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

4. What does General Zaroff's definition of "civilized" seem to be?

5. What does the sentence "He was in a picture with a frame of water, and his operations, clearly, must take place within that frame" mean? (49)

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

7. How does Zaroff obtain his victims?

8. What disagreement do Zaroff and Rainsford have about the difference between "hunting" and "murder"?

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

10. How does General Zaroff react to Rainsford's various traps?

(see the answer keys)

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