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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What justification does Zaroff give for his actions?

2. On page 50, Rainsford thinks of General Zaroff as "zealous." What kind of a person does this mean General Zaroff is?

3. On the second night, what danger does Rainsford narrowly avoid?

4. On page 51, the word "dingy" is used. How is this word pronounced, and what does it mean?

5. What is the result of Rainsford's pit trap?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. 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)

4. How does Zaroff obtain his victims?

5. Explain at least two ways in which the story's title can be understood.

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 characterize Rainsford's views on hunting human beings?

8. 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)?

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

10. What does Zaroff want to show Rainsford in the cellar and in the library, and what does this tell the reader about him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Connell frequently uses references to specific foods and wines, books, music, and so on as a method of characterizing General Zaroff. What does this tell us about General Zaroff? And why does Connell do it so often--do the references tell the reader separate things about Zaroff, or do they serve another purpose? Write an essay that analyzes the use of these details. Be sure to use textual support for your claims.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay that analyzes how General Zaroff came to be the man he is when Rainsford meets him; explain multiple aspects of his personality, using textual evidence to justify speculations about how he came to be the way he is.

Essay Topic 3

In what way is this story about more than hunting animals? Explain how this story comments on the way that human beings treat one another as much as it comments on how humans treat other animals. Be sure to offer textual support for your claims.

(see the answer keys)

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