Short Story Test Review
The Monkey’s Paw
1.Which of the following lines from “The Monkey’s Paw” is an example of foreshadowing? Explain your answer.
a.“When he went away he was a slip of a youth in the warehouse.”
b.“I should like to see those old temples and fakirs and jugglers....”
c.“The monkey’s paw has caused enough mischief already.”
d.“Did you give him anything for it, Father?”
2.Which of the following phrases from “The Monkey’s Paw” best describes the Whites’ lives before the first wish is granted? Explain why each answer is either right or wrong.
a.“wild scenes and doughty deeds”
b.“an air of prosaic wholesomeness”
c.“steeped in shadow and silence”
d.“the hopeless resignation of the old”
3.Which of the following lines from “The Monkey’s Paw” foreshadows what happened to Herbert? Explain your answer.
a.“...I don’t see the money...and I bet I never shall.”
b.“Why, we’re going to be rich, and famous and happy.”
c.“If you only cleared the house, you’d be quite happy....”
d.“I expect you’ll find the cash tied up in a big bag....”
4.The main characters make choices in “The Monkey’s Paw.” Fill in the chart below to describe one important choice the character makes, and what this choice reveals about him.
Action / Mr. White in “TheMonkey’s Paw”
Decision made
Qualities revealed by this decision
How quality caused events to happen
Games at Twilight
5.In “Games at Twilight,” why is Ravi so determined to win the game of hide-and-seek? Use quotations from the selection to support your answer.
6.In “Games at Twilight,” why does Ravi charge at the other children, crying, “I won, I won, I won!”? Explain your answer.
a. He is mad about having lost the game of hide-and-seek.
b. He is upset at being forgotten and wants their attention.
c. He is angry that his brother Raghu made him hide in the shed.
d. He thinks the other children cheated.
7.In “Games at Twilight,” what is the best option that Ravi might have considered, besides hiding inside the shed? Explain the pros and cons of that option.
a. He might have played by himself on the veranda.
b. He might have slipped out and made a run for the “den.”
c. He might have hidden in the garage instead.
d. He might have searched for some of the other children and hidden with them.
8.At one point, Ravi considers leaving the shed and rejoining the other children. What motivates him to consider this action? Explain your answer.
a. There are too many spiders and ants crawling over him.
b. He feel confined and overheated in the stuffy shed.
c. He hears the other children laughing and thinks the game is over.
d. He longs for the sunshine and the freedom that he is missing.
9.In “Games at Twilight,” how can you tell if Ravi’s decision was the best one he could have made? Explain your answer.
a. You should consider Ravi’s feelings about the outcome of his decision.
b. You should consider how his parents and the other children reacted towards him as a result of his decision.
c. You should consider Ravi’s problem, his motivation, his other options, and the final outcome of his decision.
d. You should consider how things might have been different if he had made a different decision.
Civil Peace
10.Select the answer that completes this sentence: In “Civil Peace,” when the soldier attempts to commandeer Jonathan’s bicycle, we learn that Jonathan is ____. Explain your answer, using a quotation from the story as support.
a.a shrewd observer of human behavior
b.a cynical agent of social corruption
c.an innocent victim of postwar crime
d.an earnest believer in God’s mercy
11.Used as a greeting, what does the phrase “happy survival” mean? Explain your answer, using evidence from “Civil Peace” as support.
12.In “Civil Peace,” what does the hard work of Jonathan and Maria connote? Choose the correct answer, and support your choice.
a.tragic ignorance
b.personal courage
c.religious miracles
d.financial ruin
18.In “Civil Peace,” select the answer that completes this sentence: Jonathan’s reliance on the proverb “Nothing puzzles God” shows his ____. Explain your answer.
a.faith in the divine plan
b.refusal to confront reality
c.lack of faith in himself
d.desire to acquire more education
13.What is the theme of “Civil Peace”? Support your answer, using lines from the story.
14.In “Civil Peace,” which miracle does Jonathan regard as inestimable, and what does he mean by this?
15.“Civil Peace” relates one man’s struggles in the aftermath of Nigeria’s civil war. How does prior knowledge help you relate to Jonathan’s experiences? Compare and contrast three of Jonathan’s experiences with three of your own. On the slanted, heavy lines, name the experience. On the horizontal lines, write details about each experience. Use the top half of the organizer for Jonathan’s experiences and the bottom half for your own.
There Will Come Soft Rains
16.In “There Will Come Soft Rains,” what has happened to the human beings? Explain your answer, using evidence from the story as support.
17.In “There Will Come Soft Rains,” what mood is created by a setting in which all domestic functions are performed by machines and none by human beings? Explain your answer choice, citing details from the story as support.
a.cheerful and exhilarating
b.repulsive and horrifying
c.homey and reassuring
d.impersonal and chilling
18.Which of the following sentences from “There Will Come Soft Rains” contributes directly to the setting? Choose the correct answer and explain your answer.
a.“‘Today is Mr. Featherstone’s birthday.’”
b.“Bridge tables sprouted from patio walls.”
c.“It repeated the date three times for memory’s sake.”
d.“A dog whined, shivering on the front porch.”
19.Complete the diagram by writing descriptions of the way the McClellans’ house is programmed. Then answer this question: In “There Will Come Soft Rains,” what can the reader infer about the McClellan family based on the way their house is programmed? Briefly explain your answer, using evidence from the story as support.
The Princess and All the Kingdom/The Censors
20.In “The Princess and All the Kingdom,” what does the prince do to win the princess? Choose the correct answer and explain your answer.
a.He wins a contest.
b.He battles his way through the country.
c.He defeats the other princes who want to marry the princess.
d.He single-handedly breaks down the walls of the city in which the princess lives.
21.In “The Princess and All the Kingdom,” based on the prince’s response to the chancellor, what can you infer about how he feels? Explain your answer, using evidence from the story.
22.In what way is the theme of “The Princess and All the Kingdom” universal? Explain your answer, citing evidence from the story as support.
23.How is the writer’s message revealed in “The Princess and All the Kingdom”? Explain your answer.
a.by the reaction of the prince at the end of the story
b.by the prince’s method of attaining his goal
c.through the words of the chancellor
d.through the prince’s actions
24.Complete the cause-and-effect chain showing the steps (both physical and mental) Juan takes before he applies for the job as a censor. Then write a brief answer to this question: In “The Censors,” why does Juan take a job with the Censorship Division?
25.In “The Censors,” why does Juan report the co-worker who tries to organize a strike? Explain your answer, using evidence from the story.
26.Which of the following universal themes is addressed in “The Censors”? Explain your answer choice, citing details from the story as support.
a.greed and power
b.censorship and power
c.censorship and ambition
d.power and ambition
27.How is the theme of “The Censors” revealed? Explain your answer choice, citing details from the story.
a.directly, through the narrator’s words
b.indirectly, through Juan’s thoughts
c.through the structure of the Censorship Division, as described in the story
d.through the circumstances of the story’s events and its outcome
28.In “The Censors,” by describing Juan’s absorption in his work, the author seems to be implying that people can get carried away by ideas or actions and not realize what they are doing. Write a brief essay in which you elaborate on this statement, using evidence from the story as support. Before you begin writing, complete this diagram to organize your thoughts. In the ovals, write evidence that Juan is getting carried away by the work he is doing.
Luck
29.Which of the following sentences best reflects the moral of Mark Twain’s “Luck”? Explain your answer choice by completing the diagram. Write the letter of your answer choice in the center circle, and then, on the lines, list examples from the story that support your answer.
a.Military heroes invariably turn out to be frauds.
b.Cheating always leads to a disastrous situation.
c.Education is the key to effective leadership.
d.Success may depend more on chance than on merit.
30.In “Luck,” what is the clergyman’s motivation in telling the narrator his opinion of Scoresby? Explain your answer.
a.He is envious of Scoresby’s success.
b.He finds Scoresby’s history amusing.
c.He thinks Scoresby is a remarkable person.
d.He wants the narrator to know how important he has been to Scoresby’s career.
31.How does the clergyman feel about Scoresby’s military record in “Luck”? Explain your answer.
a.He feels that Scoresby has worked hard to achieve his success and that he deserves his many honors.
b.He feels that he is more deserving of recognition than Scoresby is.
c.He feels that Scoresby manipulated his way to the top.
d.He feels that Scoresby is a kind and lovable man, but that he is a fool whose blunders have been perceived as inspirations of genius.
32.Why can the Reverend be considered a dynamic character? Use evidence from “Luck” to support your answer.
33.Explain why Scoresby is a static character. Use evidence from “Luck” to support your answer.
34.Describe in an essay what makes Arthur Scoresby a static character. Then contrast one of these main characters with a dynamic character from the same story. Use examples from “Luck” to illustrate the difference between static and dynamic characters.