An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
Ambrose Bierce Pupil’s Edition page 375 Mrs. Hinton,
Instructor
Recall and Interpret
On the line provided, write the letter of the best answer to each of the following items.
1. As they prepare to execute the prisoner, the soldiers exhibit an attitude of
a. regret. c. formality.
b. bitterness. d. sympathy.
2. The tone of the scene that begins this story could best be described as
a. bitter. c. informal.
b. sorrowful. d. objective.
3. What motivated Peyton Farquhar to go to Owl Creek Bridge?
a. a desire for glory
b. devotion to the Southern cause
c. an immediate need to protect his plantation
d. curiosity about the accuracy of the scout’s report
4. Farquhar is being hanged because he
a. deserted his post. c. tried to burn the bridge.
b. burned the bridge. d. is a captured Confederate soldier.
5. Farquhar realizes that his survival is likely when he
a. reaches the riverbank.
b. manages to free his hands.
c. discovers himself in the water.
d. is not hit by the volley of rifle fire.
6. In real time, how long is the period between Farquhar’s
drop from the bridge and the end of the story?
a. only an instant c. several hours
b. a few minutes d. much of one day and one night
7. In imagined time, how long is the period between Farquhar’s drop from
the bridge and the end of the story?
a. only an instant c. several hours
b. a few minutes d. much of one day and one night
8. Which one of the following statements about Peyton Farquhar is true?
a. He betrayed the Confederate forces.
b. He was tricked by a Federal spy.
c. He was a loner who had no family.
9. What interrupts Farquhar’s thoughts about his wife and children?
a. the ticking of his watch
b. a train barreling toward the bridge
c. the arrival of Confederate troops
10. While Farquhar is under water, he thinks he’s going to die but
a. the current is so strong the ropes break
b. the soldiers rescue him
c. the river carries him to safety
d. his hands seem to work independently of his will and free him
11. After the board is kicked out from under him, Farquhar experiences
a. an intense sharpening of his senses
b. despair and grief
c. a surprising joy and relief
d. nothing
12. After Farquhar appears to have escaped from the gunfire while in the river, he
a. is too exhausted to swim
b. lands on a bank and runs through the woods
c. is picked up by a passing riverboat
d. is recaptured
13. The surprise ending of the story reveals that Farquhar’s actual fate was
a. death by gunshot
b. death by drowning
c. death by hanging
d. a successful escape
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Literary Element: Point of View
On the line provided, write the letter of the best answer to each of the following items.
14. When Farquhar has thoughts about escaping the soldiers on the bridge, Bierce is using the point of view known as
a. second-person limited
b. third-person limited
c. first person
d. subjective
15. Which of the following best reflects the use of the omniscient point of view?
a. The writer objectively describes the scene at the plantation.
b. The writer focuses only on Farquhar and his thoughts and feelings.
c. The narrator reports that the gray-clad horseman was a Federal scout.
d. The narrator gives a first-person account of the events.
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For each of the following excerpts from the selection, identify the point of view as either
Third-person objective (A) or Third-person limited (B).
16. “A lieutenant stood at the right of the line, the point of his sword upon the ground, his left hand resting upon his right.”
17. “Peyton Farquhar was a well-to-do planter, of an old and highly respected Alabama family.”
18. “He was conscious of motion.”
19. “He felt the ripples upon his face and heard their separate sounds as they struck.”
Vocabulary / Context Clues
Match the definition on the left with the underlined word on the right.
20. regular back-and-forth movement a. Farquar’s senses became preternaturally keen.
21. musical term; decrease in volume b. The oscillation of his body was as a large pendulum.
22. guard; sentry c. There are ramifications for attempting to burn a bridge.
23. consequences d. The loud, rushing sound became diminuendo.
24. extraordinary; going beyond normal e. A sentinel stood on each end of the bridge.
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25. People who feel ardently about an issue have
a. some stake in it.
b. strong feelings about it.
c. little to do with it.
26. One way to adorn yourself is by
a. bragging. b. wearing jewelry. c. washing your face.
27. A poignant scene may provoke
a. tears. b. laughter. c. jealousy.
28. When you give your assent to a plan, it means you
a. agree with it. b. will change it. c. oppose it.
29. If a rock protrudes from its surroundings it is
a. lower than the rocks around it.
b. sticking out from the rocks around it.
c. above the rocks around it.
Understanding Figurative Language
Answer choices: a. Simile b. Sensory details c. Personification
____30. …Death is a dignitary who when he comes announced is to be received with formal manifestations of respect.
____31. He felt the ripples on his face and heard their separate sounds as they struck.
____32. the black bodies of the trees…
____33. The water roared in his ears like the voice of Niagara.
____34. …the strokes of the water spiders legs like oars which had lifted their boat.
____35. gnats that danced above the eddies
Written Response
* Throughout the story, Bierce provides hints about the real nature of Farquhar’s fate. On a separate sheet of paper, write an essay describing how Bierce hints at the truth. Support your ideas with at least two examples from the story in each paragraph.
Written Response / Hints for Writing a Good Expository Essay
Responses will vary. In a model response, students should fulfill the following criteria:
· Write a good topic sentence that states the title of the story.
· Demonstrate understanding of the prompt.
· Clearly show how Bierce hints that Farquhar’s escape is a fantasy.
· Support your ideas with at least two examples from the story.
· Write a good clincher statement.
Examples from the story:
· When Farquhar comes to the surface of the stream after his fall, his physical senses are preternaturally keen and alert, and he sees things that are not possible to see such as…
· The forest seems wild and endless to Farquhar, and he thinks there is something uncanny in that revelation.
· Farquhar sees golden stars in strange constellations that seem to have a secret and malign significance.
· Before Farquar reaches his home, he cannot feel the road under his feet.
· Farquar uses superhuman strength to remove the ropes around his arms, legs, and neck.
Study Guide An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Mrs. Hinton
1. What is the setting of the story? When__________________ Where______________
2. Who is the man on the railroad bridge?
3. What is about to happen to him?
4. After reading the title of the story, what does the word occurrence suggest?
5. Look back at the three variations of point of view mentioned on page 467. From what point of view does the story open?
6. How does the effect of this point of view mirror the perspective of a camera recording the opening scene of a movie?
7. Define PERSONIFICATION._______________________________________________
8. Why does the author personify death as a dignitary? P. 468
9. Reread the vivid description of “the man” at the top of page 469. Bierce is trying to gain the reader’s sympathy, thus causing the reader to hope that he manages to escape. IF he were a villain, we would not care about his fate or be eager for him to be hanged.
10. Define SIMILE ___________________________________________________________
What makes these statements simile?
· A sharp sound, distant, metallic percussion like the stroke of a blacksmith’s hammer upon the anvil (p469)
· Its occurrence was regular, but as slow as the tolling of a death knell.
· They hurt his ear like the thrust of a knife.
11. What are all the statements in #10 referring to? What sound was the man actually hearing?
12. Part II: Sentence 1. Who is Peyton Farquhar? ____________________________________
13. Part II: In the second sentence, the word secessionist is used. What does that sentence mean?
14. The author is trying to get the reader to understand the nature of the man Payton Farquhar in Part II.
What do you think are Peyton’s natural instincts?
15. Notice the gray-clad soldier in Part II. Which side wore gray – the north or the south?
16. What information does the soldier give Payton Farquhar?
17. What happened in Part II? What does the author separate it from Part I?
18. From what point of view is Part II told? ___________________________________________
19. Reread the first sentence in Part III. How is this sentence important to the ending?
20. Write three examples that show Peyton was in an altered state in Part III.
21. Look for color imagery. Gray, white, black, golden – How are they used in Part III?
22. How do the five senses become important in Part III? (This is sensory detail.)
Write several examples.
23. What interrupts Farquhar’s thoughts about his wife and children?
24. How are the Union soldiers portrayed?
25. What does Farquhar experience when the board is kicked from under him?
26. What happens after Farquhar appears to have escaped from the gunfire while in the river?
27. What was Farquhar’s actual fate?