First Quarter Exam

Freshman English – 1st Quarter Exam – 100 points

Name: ________________________________ Block: ______

Passage: The Most Dangerous Game

By Richard Connell

1

For a moment the general did not reply; he was smiling his curious red-lipped smile. Then he said slowly, "No. You are wrong, sir. The Cape buffalo is not the most dangerous big game." He sipped his wine. "Here in my preserve on this island," he said in the same slow tone, "I hunt more dangerous game."

2

Rainsford expressed his surprise. "Is there big game on this island?"

3

The general nodded. "The biggest."

4

"Really?"

5

"Oh, it isn't here naturally, of course. I have to stock the island."

6

"What have you imported, general?" Rainsford asked. "Tigers?"

7

The general smiled. "No," he said. "Hunting tigers ceased to interest me some years ago. I exhausted their possibilities, you see. No thrill left in tigers, no real danger. I live for danger, Mr. Rainsford."

8

The general took from his pocket a gold cigarette case and offered his guest a long black cigarette with a silver tip; it was perfumed and gave off a smell like incense.

9

"We will have some capital hunting, you and I," said the general. "I shall be most glad to have your society."

10

"But what game--" began Rainsford.

11

"I'll tell you," said the general. "You will be amused, I know. I think I may say, in all modesty, that I have done a rare thing. I have invented a new sensation. May I pour you another glass of port?"

12

"Thank you, general."

13

The general filled both glasses, and said, "God makes some men poets. Some He makes kings, some beggars. Me He made a hunter. My hand was made for the trigger, my father said. He was a very rich man with a quarter of a million acres in the Crimea, and he was an ardent sportsman. When I was only five years old he gave me a little gun, specially made in Moscow for me, to shoot sparrows with. When I shot some of his prize turkeys with it, he did not punish me; he complimented me on my marksmanship. I killed my first bear in the Caucasus when I was ten. My whole life has been one prolonged hunt. I went into the army--it was expected of noblemen's sons--and for a time commanded a division of Cossack cavalry, but my real interest was always the hunt. I have hunted every kind of game in every land. It would be impossible for me to tell you how many animals I have killed."

14

The general puffed at his cigarette.

15

"After the debacle in Russia I left the country, for it was imprudent for an officer of the Czar to stay there. Many noble Russians lost everything. I, luckily, had invested heavily in American securities, so I shall never have to open a tearoom in Monte Carlo or drive a taxi in Paris. Naturally, I continued to hunt--grizzliest in your Rockies, crocodiles in the Ganges, rhinoceroses in East Africa. It was in Africa that the Cape buffalo hit me and laid me up for six months. As soon as I recovered I started for the Amazon to hunt jaguars, for I had heard they were unusually cunning. They weren't." The Cossack sighed. "They were no match at all for a hunter with his wits about him, and a high-powered rifle. I was bitterly disappointed. I was lying in my tent with a splitting headache one night when a terrible thought pushed its way into my mind. Hunting was beginning to bore me! And hunting, remember, had been my life. I have heard that in America businessmen often go to pieces when they give up the business that has been their life."

16

"Yes, that's so," said Rainsford.

17

The general smiled. "I had no wish to go to pieces," he said. "I must do something. Now, mine is an analytical mind, Mr. Rainsford. Doubtless that is why I enjoy the problems of the chase."

18

"No doubt, General Zaroff.

19

"So," continued the general, "I asked myself why the hunt no longer fascinated me. You are much younger than I am, Mr. Rainsford, and have not hunted as much, but you perhaps can guess the answer."

20

"What was it?"

"Simply this: hunting had ceased to be what you call `a sporting proposition.' It had become too easy. I always got my quarry. Always. There is no greater bore than perfection."

22

The general lit a fresh cigarette.

23

"No animal had a chance with me any more. That is no boast; it is a mathematical certainty. The animal had nothing but his legs and his instinct. Instinct is no match for reason. When I thought of this it was a tragic moment for me, I can tell you."

24

Rainsford leaned across the table, absorbed in what his host was saying.

25

"It came to me as an inspiration what I must do," the general went on.

26

"And that was?"

27

The general smiled the quiet smile of one who has faced an obstacle and surmounted it with success. "I had to invent a new animal to hunt," he said.

28

"A new animal? You're joking." "Not at all," said the general. "I never joke about hunting. I needed a new animal. I found one. So I bought this island built this house, and here I do my hunting. The island is perfect for my purposes--there are jungles with a maze of traits in them, hills, swamps--"

29

"But the animal, General Zaroff?"

30

"Oh," said the general, "it supplies me with the most exciting hunting in the world. No other hunting compares with it for an instant. Every day I hunt, and I never grow bored now, for I have a quarry with which I can match my wits."

31

Rainsford's bewilderment showed in his face.

"I wanted the ideal animal to hunt," explained the general. "So I said, `What are the attributes of an ideal quarry?' And the answer was, of course, `It must have courage, cunning, and, above all, it must be able to reason."'

32

"But no animal can reason," objected Rainsford.

33

"My dear fellow," said the general, "there is one that can."

34

"But you can't mean--" gasped Rainsford.

Question 1 (Reading Comprehension) – Separate Sheet of Paper - 4 pts. (x5 = 20 pts.)

Find 3 details from the passage from the beginning of the story that provide clues about Zaroff’s hobby. Explain how these clues help create suspense. Write your answer on notebook paper.

Question 2 - (Acquisition of Vocabulary) - 1 pt. (x5 = 5 pts.)

What is the meaning of cunning in the following passage?

“As soon as I recovered I started for the Amazon to hunt jaguars, for I had heard they were unusually cunning” (paragraph 15)?

A. docile

B. gentle

C. intelligent

D. slow

Passage from: The Birds

By Daphne Du Maurier

Nat watched them and he watched the sea birds too. Down in the bay, they waited for the tide. They had more patience. Oyster catchers, red shank, sanderling, and curlew watched by the water’s edge; as the slow sea sucked at the shore and withdrew, leaving the strip of seaweed bare and the shingle churned , the sea birds raced and ran across the beaches. Then that same impulse to flight seized upon them too. Crying, whistling, calling, they skimmed the placid sea and left the shore. Make haste, make speed, hurry and begone; yet where, and to what purpose? The restless urge of autumn, unsatisfying, sad, had put a spell upon them and they must flock, and wheel, and cry; they must spill themselves of motion before winter came.

Question 3 (Literary Text) 1 pt. – (x5 = 5 pts.)

The birds in the passage are described as being restless and traveling in large numbers. This hints the reader to the fact that later in the story, birds begin to attack people.

The birds’ restlessness is an example of what?

A. Irony

B. Foreshadowing

C. Symbolism

D. Allegory

Question 4 (Reading Comprehension) 1 pt. (x5 = 5 pts.)

“The restless urge of autumn, unsatisfying, sad, had put a spell upon them and they must flock, and wheel, and cry; they must spill themselves of motion before winter came.”

Which sentence means the same as the excerpt given above?

A. The autumn has given the birds magical powers.

B. The birds are dying because it is winter.

C. The birds are confused by the changing of the seasons

D. The birds know that winter is coming and are becoming restless.

Question 5 (Literary Text) 1 pt. (x5 = 5 pts.)

Which quotation is an example of personification?

A. “Down in the bay they waited for the tide”

B. “Make haste, make speed, hurry and be gone; yet where, and to what purpose?”

C. “the slow sea sucked at the shore and withdrew”

Question 6 (Reading Process) 2 pts. (x5 = 20 pts.)

What are two examples of the birds being restless given in the passage? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

Essay: In 1-3 paragraphs, describe the events that led up to Andy’s suicide in Tears of a Tiger. (20 points)

Rubric:

Paragraph is indented = 4 points

There are at the least, five complete sentences, with periods. = 4 points

Paragraph follows all rules of capitalization = 4 points

Every event described in the paragraph is accurate to the book = 4 points

Events follow a clear and concise order = 4 points

Essay: