2.8.F - Test: Short Stories Flashcards
In “The Gift of the Magi,” what is Jim’s most cherished possession?
His new leather boots
His new gold ring
A gold watch
An old top-hat that was tattered but his very favorite
A gold watch
In “The Gift of the Magi,” what is Della’s gift to Jim?
A watch chain
A new pair of boots
A new leather purse with a gold clasp
None of these
A watch chain
In “The Heavenly Christmas Tree,” the boy’s old town was just as bright and unwelcoming as the new town.
True
False
False
What happens after the little boy dies in “The Heavenly Christmas Tree”?
He reunites with the wicked boy, who is saved now.
He appears before God’s throne.
He reunites with his mother and with other perished children in heaven.
He meets the apostles, who give him cakes.
He reunites with his mother and with other perished children in heaven.
In “The Heavenly Christmas Tree,” what happens when the boy tries to receive food from the ladies giving out cakes?
They give him a Bible and shoo him back onto the street.
They tell the wicked boy to chase him.
They give him a single small cake.
They shout at him and force him out.
They shout at him and force him out.
Read the following excerpt from “The Man Who Could Imitate a Bee.”
At seventeen, still in the University, he was becoming known as a first-rate all-round bird man; he rather looked down on old Fodd at the Natural History Museum who was a beetle man and particularly on Armbuster who was a mere bee man; yes, Armbuster and his bees decidedly wearied Hervey Deyo. As if bees counted!
How does this excerpt characterize Hervey?
As a serious scientist who looks down on other people who study birds.
As a serious scientist that admires his peers.
As someone who looks down on people who study beetles and bees.
As someone who wants to study bees.
As someone who looks down on people who study beetles and bees.
Read the following excerpt from “The Man Who Could Imitate a Bee.”
Lying in his bed that night the brain of Hervey Deyo entertained two thoughts. One was that Miss Low was a singularly charming girl; the other was he could not interest her by birds alone. How then? He analyzed the situation with the same care and logic that he applied to the dissection of a humming-bird. His conclusion was revolting but inescapable. He must master a parlor trick. He shuddered at the notion, but he was resolved.
“The end justifies the means,” he muttered.
He rose early and attacked the problem with the weapons of science. In his note-book he carefully wrote down all the animals and the sounds they made, with comments and remarks on their value as entertainment.
What conflict does Hervey have in this excerpt?
He thinks that he should master a parlor trick instead of ever being a scientist again.
He thinks parlor tricks are silly but decides to master one to impress a girl.
He is afraid that Miss Low knows more about birds than he does.
He feels silly mastering a parlor trick and decides to stop trying.
He thinks parlor tricks are silly but decides to master one to impress a girl.
Read the following excerpt from “The Man Who Could Imitate a Bee.”
A thought, murderous and ruthless, shot into one of Hervey Deyo’s brain cells. Normally he was neither murderous nor ruthless; quite gentle, indeed. But love brings out the primal man; for the sake of Mina Low he would, for a second, be atavistic. He chased the protesting bee across the pane; he got her into a corner; his gloved hand closed on her; she buzzed frantically; he closed his thumb and forefinger smartly together; he cut her off in full buzz with a sharp incisive sound like a torch plunged into a pond. A perfect climax! Hurriedly, furtively, he fed her corpse to a live flamingo in a cage in the corner. On his way home he passed Armbuster in the hall; Armbuster was distractedly searching for his queen; he was peering under a rug. Hervey Deyo did not meet the bee man’s eye.
What two conflicts does this excerpt illustrate?
Character vs Self
Character vs Technology
Character vs Nature
Character vs Society
Character vs Self
Character vs Nature
At the end of “Everyday Use,” Mama gets a sudden “awakening” and does something she has “never done before.” What does she do?
She kicks Wangero out of the house.
She sends Maggie away.
She gives in to Wangero and tells her “yes.”
She stands up to Wangero and tells her “no.”
She stands up to Wangero and tells her “no.”
In “Everyday Use,” what happened to cause Maggie’s burns?
Their old barn burned down.
Maggie picked up a hot pan.
The old house burned down.
Maggie tripped into a campfire.
The old house burned down.
In “Everyday Use,” what does Wangero want to do with the quilts?
Give them to a museum.
Display them in her home
Turn them into jackets.
Use them for her baby
Display them in her home
According to “Rules of the Game,” what do the following names refer to?
“The Double Attack from the East and West Shores. Throwing Stones on the Drowning Man. The Sudden Meeting of the Clan. The Surprise from the Sleeping Guard. The Humble Servant Who Kills the King. Sand in the Eyes of Advancing Forces. A Double Killing Without Blood.”
Chess moves
Chinese legends
Short story titles
Army formations
Chess moves
In “Rules of the Game,” Waverly’s parents are embarrassed by her chess career.
True
False
False
In “Rules of the Game,” what happens to make Waverly knock into an old lady and spill her groceries?
Waverly is so tired from all her practice that she cannot see where she is going.
Waverly gets angry with her mother and jerks her hand away.
Waverly’s mother pushes her in frustration.
Waverly’s brothers set her up because they are jealous.
Waverly gets angry with her mother and jerks her hand away.
Walter Mitty’s wife supports and encourages his daydreams.
True
False
False
As he leans against the wall of the drugstore at the end of “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” Walter imagines _________________________.
that his wife disappeared into another dimension
nothing; he’s given up daydreaming
that he is strapped into a rocket going to space
that he faces a firing squad
that he faces a firing squad
In “Home,” this reflection from Maud Martha is an example of which type of figurative language?
But she felt that the little line of white, sometimes ridged with smoked purple, and all that cream-shot saffron would never drift across any western sky except that in back of this house. The rain would drum with as sweet a dullness nowhere but here. The birds on South Park were mechanical birds, no better than the poor caught canaries in those ‘rich’ women’s sun parlors.
Anaphora: provides rhythm to sentences by repeating the same word/phrase in successive clauses or sentences
Repetition: the repetition of significant words or phrases
Idiom: a common expression that is not to be taken literally
Hyperbole: an exaggerated statement or claim that is not meant to be taken literally
Hyperbole: an exaggerated statement or claim that is not meant to be taken literally
Where is Papa in the story “Home”?
At his work office, getting fired
At the unemployment office
At the Home Owners’ Loan office
At the insurance office
At the Home Owners’ Loan office
Fill in the blank from this passage of “The Lady, or the Tiger?”.
Now, the point of the story is this: Did the tiger come out of that door, or did the lady?
The more we reflect upon this question, the harder it is to answer. It involves a study of ___________ which leads us through devious mazes of passion, out of which it is difficult to find our way.
the human heart
foreign lands
classical literature
the human brain
the human heart
In “The Lady, or the Tiger?”, the princess is in love with a brave young man. What does her father do when he finds out about this affair?
He makes them get married.
He disowns his daughter and bans the young man from his kingdom.
He sentences the young man to the arena.
He kills the young man and punishes his daughter.
He sentences the young man to the arena.
In “War,” the young cavalryman comes across a deserted farmhouse. What does he immediately deduce about this location?
Enemy spies are currently using it as a base.
It is currently being used as a hospital.
A battle had taken place there.
The family had fled to safety.
A battle had taken place there.
At the end of “War,” what does the man with the ginger-colored beard do?
He escapes death a second time by galloping away on his horse.
He orders his men to shoot and kill the three men wandering around the farmhouse.
He shoots and kills the young cavalryman.
None of these
He shoots and kills the young cavalryman.
In “A Horseman in the Sky,” what crime does Carter commit at the beginning of the story?
All of these
He is drunk on duty.
He is fast asleep on duty.
He is absent without leave and will be due for a court-martial.
He is fast asleep on duty.
In “A Horseman in the Sky,” what is Carter Druse’s background?
He comes from a wealthy Californian mining family.
He is an old veteran.
He is a penniless orphan.
He comes from a wealthy western Virginian family.
He comes from a wealthy western Virginian family.
In “A Horseman in the Sky,” Druse is on guard duty watching out for his men. Which of the following groups does he belong to?
A three-man scouting team sent out to look for enemy camps
A ten-man regiment transporting prisoners of war from one military base to another
None of these
Five regiments that are resting before an upcoming attack on the enemy
Five regiments that are resting before an upcoming attack on the enemy
Which of the following is NOT a tip for reading well?
Slow down and/or re-read
Actively engage
Read with purpose
Only read a work a few pages at a time
Only read a work a few pages at a time
The subject matter of a work tends to go deeper and have more meaning than the story’s theme.
True
False
False
“The Gift of the Magi” and “The Heavenly Christmas Tree” both provide excellent examples of situational irony. What is situational irony?
When what actually happens is far different from what is expected to happen
When a speaker or writer says one thing but means something entirely different
When the reader knows something that the character does not
None of these
When what actually happens is far different from what is expected to happen
_________: To presume or conclude information from what we read through prior knowledge and reasoning rather than from an explanation from the author
Imply
Infer
Infer
Match each of the 5 elements of plot structure to its definition.
Exposition
Rising Action
Crisis/Turning Point
Falling Action
Resolution
The story’s conflicts finally reach their breaking point.
The crisis is over, and the conflicts are ended.
This is the beginning of the story, in which the author introduces the setting, characters, and conflict.
Conflicts build, and things really start to happen in the story.
The conflict begins to resolve, and there are possibilities for eliminating the crisis.
Exposition
This is the beginning of the story, in which the author introduces the setting, characters, and conflict.
Rising Action
Conflicts build, and things really start to happen in the story.
Crisis/Turning Point
The story’s conflicts finally reach their breaking point.
Falling Action
The conflict begins to resolve, and there are possibilities for eliminating the crisis.
Resolution
The crisis is over, and the conflicts are ended.
Select the five (5) types of external conflict.
Character vs Nature
Character vs Character
Character vs Society
Character vs Supernatural
Man vs Woman
Character vs Authority
Character vs Self
Character vs Technology
Character vs Nature
Character vs Character
Character vs Society
Character vs Supernatural
Character vs Technology
The one and only type of internal conflict is called character vs _______ conflict.
self
What type of external conflict does this excerpt best illustrate?
“I cautiously came up close to the machine, peering with distrust at all its whizzing parts. Suddenly, a flurry of sparks burst out of it, directly at my face. Somehow, it knew I had been staring at it. It was warning me.”
Character vs. Society
Character vs. Technology
Character vs. Character
Character vs. Supernatural
Character vs. Technology
Direct characterization is information about a character that is revealed through the action and/or dialogue.
True
False
False
Which type of characterization is found in the following passage of “Everyday Use”?
In real life I am a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands. In the winter I wear flannel nightgowns to bed and overalls during the day. I can kill and clean a hog as mercilessly as a man. My fat keeps me hot in zero weather. I can work outside all day, breaking ice to get water for washing; I can eat pork liver cooked over the open fire minutes after it comes steaming from the hog. One winter I knocked a bull calf straight in the brain between the eyes with a sledge hammer and had the meat hung up to chill before nightfall.
Direct characterization
Indirect characterization
Direct characterization
en, authors do not explicitly state what’s happening in a story. Instead, they expect their readers to infer the truth.
What does infer mean?
None of these
To presume or conclude information from what we read through prior knowledge and reasoning
To look up a word’s definition so that you know exactly what it means
To leave it as a mystery and allow the suspense to build
To presume or conclude information from what we read through prior knowledge and reasoning
__________: A character who remains essentially the same throughout the story, holding true to his or her original values, beliefs, personality, and attitude
Flat character
Round character
Dynamic character
Static character
Static character
In “The Lady, or the Tiger?”, Stockton intentionally ends the story right at the ___________, leaving no room for falling action or resolution.
crisis/turning point
battle scene
resolution
exposition
crisis/turning point
What is figurative language?
Any expressive, non-literal use of language
The repetition of certain sounds within a line or lines of words
Any literal statement in prose
Lines of poetic verse
Any expressive, non-literal use of language
Select all the major elements of setting.
Time
Weather
Social/Political Environment
People
Place
Mood
Imagery
Exposition
Time
Weather
Social/Political Environment
Place
Mood
The following passage from “A Horseman in the Sky” introduces which element of the story’s setting? Select all that apply.
One sunny afternoon in the autumn of the year 1861 a soldier lay in a clump
of laurel by the side of a road in western Virginia. He lay at full length upon
his stomach, his feet resting upon the toes, his head upon the left forearm.
His extended right hand loosely grasped his rifle. But for the somewhat
methodical disposition of his limbs and a slight rhythmic movement of the
cartridge-box at the back of his belt he might have been thought to be dead.
He was asleep at his post of duty. But if detected he would be dead shortly
afterward, death being the just and legal penalty of his crime.
Mood
Weather
Time
Social/Political Context
Place
Weather
Time
Social/Political Context
Place
The following passage from “A Horseman in the Sky” introduces which element of the story’s setting? Select all that apply.
So tensely was he strung, that a bunch of quail, exploding into flight from under his horse’s nose, startled him to such an extent that automatically, instantly, he had reined in and fetched the carbine halfway to his shoulder. He grinned sheepishly, recovered himself, and rode on. So tense was he, so bent upon the work he had to do, that the sweat stung his eyes unwiped, and unheeded rolled down his nose and spattered his saddle pommel. The band of his cavalryman’s hat was fresh-stained with sweat. The roan horse under him was likewise wet. It was high noon of a breathless day of heat.
Place
Time
Weather
Mood
Social/Political Environment
Time
Weather
Mood
__________: The study of the origin of words
etymology
