Texas Academic Pentathlon
8th Grade Literature Practice Test
2015-2016
Questions #1 – 7 are based on the following excerpt from the novel, Tarzan of the Apes, by
Edgar Rice Burroughs.
Chapter I: Out to Sea
I had this story from one who had no business to tell it to me, or to any other. I may credit the seductive influence of an old vintage upon the narrator for the beginning of it, and my own skeptical incredulity during the days that followed for the balance of the strange tale.
When my convivial host discovered that he had told me so much, and that I was prone to doubtfulness, his foolish pride assumed the task the old vintage had commenced, and so he unearthed written evidence in the form of musty manuscript, and dry official records of the British Colonial Office to support many of the salient features of his remarkable narrative.
I do not say the story is true, for I did not witness the happenings which it portrays, but the fact that in the telling of it to you I have taken fictitious names for the principal characters quite sufficiently evidences the sincerity of my own belief that it MAY be true.
The yellow, mildewed pages of the diary of a man long dead, and the records of the Colonial Office dovetail perfectly with the narrative of my convivial host, and so I give you the story as I painstakingly pieced it out from these several various agencies.
***
From the records of the Colonial Office and from the dead man's diary we learn that a certain young English nobleman, whom we shall call John Clayton, Lord Greystoke was commissioned to make a peculiarly delicate investigation of conditions in a British West Coast African Colony from whose simple native inhabitants another European power was known to be recruiting soldiers for its native army, which it used solely for the forcible collection of rubber and ivory from the savage tribes along the Congo and the Aruwimi. The natives of the British Colony complained that many of their young men were enticed away through the medium of fair and glowing promises, but that few, if any, ever returned to their families.
The Englishmen in Africa went even further saying that these poor blacks were held in virtual slavery since, after their terms of enlistment expired, their ignorance was imposed upon by their white officers, and they were told that they had yet several years to serve.
And so the Colonial Office appointed John Clayton to a new post in British West Africa, but his confidential instructions centered on a thorough investigation of the unfair treatment of black British subjects by the officers of a friendly European power. Why he was sent is, however, of little moment to this story, for he never made an investigation nor, in fact, did he ever reach his destination.
Clayton was the type of Englishman that one likes best to associate with the noblest monuments of historic achievement upon a thousand victorious battlefields—a strong, virile man—mentally, morally, and physically.
In stature he was above the average height; his eyes were gray, his features regular and strong; his carriage that of perfect, robust health influenced by his years of army training.
Political ambition had caused him to seek transference from the army to the Colonial Office and so we find him, still young, entrusted with a delicate and important commission in the service of the Queen.
When he received this appointment he was both elated and appalled. The preferment seemed to him in the nature of a well-merited reward for painstaking and intelligent service, and as a stepping stone to posts of greater importance and responsibility; but, on the other hand, he had been married to the Hon. Alice Rutherford for scarce a three months, and it was the thought of taking this fair young girl into the dangers and isolation of tropical Africa that appalled him.
For her sake he would have refused the appointment, but she would not have it so. Instead she insisted that he accept, and, indeed, take her with him.
There were mothers and brothers and sisters and aunts and cousins to express various opinions on the subject, but as to what they severally advised, history is silent.
We know only that on a bright May morning in 1888, John, Lord Greystoke, and Lady Alice sailed from Dover on their way to Africa.
A month later they arrived at Freetown where they chartered a small sailing vessel, the Fuwalda, which was to bear them to their final destination.
And here John, Lord Greystoke, and Lady Alice, his wife, vanished from the eyes and from the knowledge of men.
- Why did the man tell this narrator the story?
a. to see if this person found it credible
b. to see if this person had heard the story anywhere else before
c. for no reason at all
d. to spread gossip about the man who had just died.
e. to look important in the eyes of this other man
- Why does the narrator use fictitious names for the characters of the story he tells?
a. He believes it might be true.
b. He didn’t witness the happenings himself.
c. He actually knows one of the characters.
d. He does not want to betray a trust to an old friend.
e. He does not know their real names.
3. What word or phrase gives the best connotative evidence of the definition for mildewed?
a. records of the Colonial
b. Dovetailed
c. musty manuscript
d. narrative of my convivial host
e. painstakingly pieced it out
4. Why was John Clayton sent to British West Africa?
a. to investigate unfair treatment of black British subjects.
b. to investigate unfair treatment of all British soldiers.
c. to investigate the collection of rubber and ivory.
d. to investigate the gathering and sale of slaves.
e. to see how mentally, morally, and physically fit he was to lead an army.
5. The people of the British Colony said their young men
a. were taken into slavery at gunpoint.
b. were lured into slavery by hopes of a better life.
c. never returned home.
d. were all killed.
e. never made promises to the British army.
6. Why did John Clayton not want to take the appointment to British West Africa?
a. He was politically ambitious and this appointment would not further his career.
b. Because he was young and strong, he felt he should be in the army building a reputation for himself.
c. He did not feel it was a reward for his intelligent service to the Queen.
d. His wife did not want to go to British West Africa.
e. He did not want to take his delicate wife to British West Africa.
7. According to this excerpt, where was John Clayton’s final destination?
a. Fuwalda
b. Freetown
c. British West Africa
d. No one knows.
e. Only the narrator knows.
Questions 8-20 are based on Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book and the Pentathlon Literature Resource Guide.
8. After spending his early years in India, why did Rudyard Kipling first travel to England?
a. His father was appointed as an assistant curator for the British Museum in London.
b. His mother wanted him and his sister to have a formal British education.
c. His father was reassigned in England by the British government.
d. His mother missed her parents and returned to England for one year.
e. Rudyard was accepted to study at Oxford University.
9. The Kiplings’ “Bliss Cottage” was located in
a. Virginia.
b. New York.
c. Vermont.
d. New Hampshire.
e. Connecticut.
10. Which of Kipling’s novels was written while grieving from the loss of his oldest child?
a. Captains Courageous
b. Gunga Din
c. The Jungle Book
d. Kim
e. The Seven Seas
11. The modern pronoun for the 19th century word, “thine,” is
a. I
b. we
c. they
d. your
e. them
12. Which of the following tales is considered to be Kipling’s most moralistic tale?
a. "Tiger! Tiger!"
b. “Mowgli's Song”
c. “The White Seal”
d. “Lukannon”
e. "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi"
13. What does the name “Mowgli” mean?
a. boy
b. cub
c. worm
d. warrior
e. frog
14. Why was Baloo the Bear allowed to attend the wolf council at Council Rock?
a. He saved Akela from Shere Kahn when he was a cub.
b. He is the oldest animal in the Jungle.
c. Baloo was elected by all the other animals of the jungle to sit on the council.
d. Baloo teaches the Law of the Jungle to the wolf cubs.
e. Because he is the largest animal in the jungle, he protects the wolves while they meet.
15. The Bandar-log take Mowgli to
a. the Cold Lairs.
b. Council Rock.
c. the Seeonee hills.
d. Novastoshnah
e. Rawal Pindi
16. In the chapter, “Mowgli’s Brothers,” the character, Tabaqui, is introduced. Tabaqui is a(n)
a. tiger
b. elephant
c. wolf
d. bird
e. jackal
17. In “Rikki-tikki-tavi,” Nagaina does not kill Teddy because
a. Rikki-tikki-tavi has one of her eggs.
b. she regrets her anger and slithers out of the house.
c. the light in the bungalow is too bright and she cannot see her target.
d. the father begs and convinces her not to strike his child.
e. she would rather have revenge on Rikki-tikki-tavi first.
18. In “Tiger-Tiger!,” what does Buldeo offer Mowgli for Shere Khan’s hide?
a. his own hut in the village
b. for Mowgli to tell his stories to the people of the village
c. proper clothes and shoes
d. a place on the village council
e. one rupee.
19. In “The White Seal,” Kotick’s primary quest is to
a. find a girl to marry and settle down like other seals.
b. locate the Sea Cow and find a safe beach for seals.
c. find a way to get rid of the seal hunters on Novastoshnah.
d. find and ask the Sea Vitch for help.
e. search for warmer waters.
20. In “Toomai of the Elephants,” the elephant’s name, Kala Nag, means
a. large beast
b. faithful one
c. black snake
d. night dance
e. wise servant
Question 21-30 are based on the Shorter Selections in the Pentathlon Literature Resource Guide.
21. What personal experience made Gandhi more aware of racial violence and unfair colonial practices?
a. He was fired from his job as a lawyer.
b. He was thrown out of a “White’s only” train compartment.
c. He could not be hired as a professional lawyer in South Africa.
d. He was denied the right to study abroad.
e. He was jailed on suspicion of inciting a riot while working in South Africa.
22. In Gandhi’s “Quit India” speech, Gandhi explained his belief in ahmisa which means
a. independence.
b. protest.
c. mistrust.
d. destruction.
e. non-violence.
23. Of the authors studied in the Shorter Selections of the Pentathlon Literature Guide, which was the only one who was born outside of India?
a. Jhumpa Lahiri
b. Nissim Ezekiel
c. Salman Rushdie
d. Jawaharlal Nehru
e. Mahatma Gandhi
24. In Nehru’s “Tryst with Destiny” speech, Nehru states that “freedom and power brings responsibility.” Who does Nehru believe this responsibility rests upon?
a. The Hindu population of India
b. India’s newly-elected Constituent Assembly
c. The British government
d. The Muslim population of India
e. Democratic countries of the world
25. Nehru delivered his “Tryst with Destiny” speech in
a. French
b. Hindi
c. Bengali
d. English
e. Punjabi
26. Why was a fatwa issued on Salman Rushdie’s life after the publication of The Satanic Verses?
a. He married a Muslim woman and refused to convert to Islam.
b. It outlined the struggles faced by the migrant Indian population.
c. It was believed he blasphemed Islam as a whole in his writings.
d. His writings were perceived to fuel violence for Indian independence.
e. The book discounted all world religions and promoted atheism.
27. A “diaspora” is BEST defined as
a. the movement, migration, or scattering of a people across geographic areas.
b. the partitioning of a country according to ethnic populations.
c. the recognition of a new capital city from the former capital city.
d. the division of local governments and national governments.
e. the official recognition of a sovereign nation.
28. In Ezekiel’s “Background, Casually,” who were his three Companions while living in England?
a. Philosophy, Poverty, Poetry
b. Gloom, Despair, Agony
c. Past, Present, Future
d. Him, Her, They
e. Friends, Family, Fortune
29. “Background, Casually” PRIMARILY describes conflict between the poet and
a. his family.
b. educational institutions.
c. his faith.
d. society.
e. the people of India.
30. In the short story, “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine,” what would Mr. Pirzada give Lilia when he came over to her parents’ home?
a. coins
b. books
c. candy
d. cashews
e. pictures