Short Story Quiz: ¨The Scarlet Ibis¨
Carefully read the question and thoughtfully consider your answer. Don´t rush. The test will
close at 60 minutes, which is ample time to succeed.
1. “There is within me (and with sadness I have watched it in others) a knot of
(1 point)
cruelty borne by a stream of love, much as our blood sometimes bears the seed of
our
destruction, and at times I was mean to Doodle” (597).
What is the narrator admitting of himself in this quote?
◯ The narrator is admitting that he can recognize “cruelty” because he was “mean” himself.
◯ The narrator is erasing some of his own guilt by stating that others possess “cruelty” too.
◯ The narrator is indicating that he feels victimized by “cruelty.”
◯ The narrator is hoping that no one will remember his “cruelty” toward Doodle.
2. Literary Tools: what tool is the author using in the following quote from the text?
(1 point)
"Daddy had the carpenter build a little coffin, and when he was three months old,
Mama and Daddy named him William Armstrong. Such a name sounds good only
on a tombstone" (Narrator, Part 1).
◯ foreshadowing
◯ metaphor
◯ personification
◯ repetition
3. Vocabulary: fill in the blank with the correct vocabulary word in context. Spelling (1 point)
counts.
When thunder boomed and the sky darkened, they could tell the storm was
___________________. (about to happen)
4. Which of the following reasons best describes the narrator’s motivation for
teaching his brother to walk?
(1 point)
◯ He wanted Doodle to walk because he was ashamed to have a disabled brother.
◯ He wanted Doodle to walk to make his parents and Aunt Nicey happy.
◯ He wanted Doodle to walk because he didn’t want him to be made fun of at school.
◯ He wanted Doodle to walk for all of the reasons above (A, B, and C).
5. What was Doodle´s greatest fear, and what type of conflict does this demonstrate? (1 point)
◯ bad weather, man vs. nature
◯ being left alone, man vs. self
◯ being picked on by the kids at school, man vs. society
◯ being bullied by Brother, man vs. man
6. Literary Tools: what tool is the author using in the following quote from the text?
(1 point)
“Hope no longer hid in the dark palmetto thicket but perched [...] in the lacy
toothbrush tree, brilliantly visible (598).”
◯ metaphor
◯ personification
◯ idiom
◯ oxymoron
7. Vocabulary: fill in the blank with the correct vocabulary word in context. Spelling (1 point)
counts.
Because of his belief in his own ______________________, the narrator never
doubted the success of his project.
(inability to make mistakes)
8. Literary Tools: what tool is the author using in the following quote from the text?
"I pulled the go-cart through the saw-tooth fern, down in to the green dimness
where the palmetto fronds whispered by the stream" (171).
◯ imagery
◯ metaphor
(1 point)
◯ irony
◯ repetition
9. “His awkwardness at digging the hole with a shovel whose handle was twice as
(1 point)
long as he was made us laugh, and we covered our mouths with our hands so he
wouldn’t
hear” (603). The reader can infer that Doodle’s family
_______________________________.
◯ thinks it’s comical that Doodle is sad about the Scarlet Ibis.
◯ laughs to cover up their own sadness.
◯ does not really love him at all.
◯ finds a degree of humor in his physical condition.
10. Vocabulary: fill in the blank with the correct vocabulary word in context.
(1 point)
Doodle balanced __________________ on his thin legs. (unsteadily, insecurely)
11. Vocabulary: fill in the blank with the correct vocabulary word in context.
(1 point)
I hadn't run too far before I became tired, and the flood of childish spite
______________ as well.
(faded away, vanished)
12. Read the following quote to determine the storyś point-of-view. Hint: look for
pronouns
¨It’s strange that all this is still so clear to me, now that the summer has long since
fled and time has had its way¨ (Narrator, part 1).
◯ first person
◯ third person
◯ second person
(1 point)
13. Literary Tools: what tool is the author using in the following quote from the text? (1 point)
“[...] even when we were outside in the bright sunshine, he clung to me, crying,
‘Don’t leave me. Don’t leave
me” (597).
◯ irony
◯ metaphor
◯ repetition
◯ oxymoron
14. How was Doodle handled as a baby?
(1 point)
◯ He was not held often and laid in the middle of a big bed on a rubber sheet.
◯ He was overly protected by everyone and pampered by his parents.
◯ He was held non-stop and given special treatment because of his sickness.
◯ He was ignored and abused because no one wanted him.
15. Vocabulary: fill in the blank with the correct vocabulary word in context.
(1 point)
To discourage his coming with me, I’d run with him across the ends of the cotton
rows and _________ him around corners on two wheels.
(to rush headlong, often with a swerving or lurching motion)
16. Literary Tools: what tool is the author using in the following quote from the text? (1 point)
“Trembling, he’d push himself up, turning first red, then a soft purple, and finally
collapse back onto the bed like an old worn-out doll” (595).
◯ simile
◯ irony
◯ personification
◯ alliteration
17. Vocabulary: fill in the blank with the correct vocabulary word in context.
(1 point)
_______________, the narrator took Doodle with him, all the while resenting the
task.
18. In literature, symbolism is defined as the use of symbols to give a deeper meaning (1 point)
to ideas, beyond their literal meaning.
The scarlet ibis is a symbol for...
◯ Doodle
◯ Aunt Nicey
◯ life
◯ the narrator
19. Vocabulary: fill in the blank with the correct vocabulary word in context. Spelling (1 point)
counts.
The bird’s wings glowed with ________________ color. (rainbow-like)
20. “When we reached the landing, Doodle said he was too tired to swim, so we got
(1 point)
into a skiff and floated down the creek with the tide (603).”
The closest meaning of the word “skiff” as it is used in this context would be...
◯ an argument
◯ an airplane
◯ a small boat
◯ an old car
21. Literary Tools: what tool is the author using in the following quote from the text? (1 point)
“I did not know then that pride is [...] a seed that bears two vines, life and death”
(598).
◯ simile
◯ alliteration
◯ oxymoron
◯ metaphor
22. That summer, the summer of 1918, was ______________. In May and June there (1 point)
was no rain and the crops withered, curled up, and then died under the thirsty sun.
(suffering from conditions that destroy or prevent growth)
23. When Doodle is born, the brother's reaction to his new sibling is that of...
(1 point)
◯ terror and fear
◯ disappointment and sorrow
◯ joy and excitement
◯ worry and anxiety
24. “But sometimes (like right now), as I sit in the cool, green-draped parlor, the
(1 point)
grindstone begins to turn, and time with all its changes is ground away—and I
remember
Doodle” (595). What effect is the narrator trying to create by putting “like right
now” in
parenthesis?
◯ The narrator is revealing a surprise ending in the plot.
◯ The narrator is setting up the story as a flashback to his childhood.
◯ The narrator is foreshadowing events that will occur later in the story.
◯ The narrator is creating a mysterious and eerie tone.
25. The author of the short story, ¨The Scarlet Ibis," is
_______________ ________________.
(1 point)
26. Which of the following would be an accurate summary of ¨The Scarlet Ibis?¨
(1 point)
◯ The story is about a boy who struggles with selfish pride related to his disabled brother.
◯ The story is about a bird that dies in a hurricane and gets buried by a little boy.
◯ The story is about a family that must overcome tremendous obstacles related to their
sons.
◯ The story is about a town that does not show acceptance toward a disabled boy.
27. Doodle's go cart (wagon) symbolizes everything EXCEPT...
(1 point)
◯ his disability
◯ his freedom and independence
◯ his brother´s burden
◯ his family´s ability to adapt to a tough situation
28. Literary Tools: what tool is the author using in the following quote from the text? (1 point)
"I did not know that pride is a wonderful, terrible thing, a seed that bears two
vines, life and death" (598).
◯ simile
◯ alliteration
◯ hyperbole
◯ oxymoron
29. “That summer, the summer of 1918, was blighted. In May and June there was no
rain and the crops withered, curled up, then died under the thirsty sun. One
morning in July a
hurricane came out of the east, topping over the oaks in the yard and splitting up
the limbs of
the elm trees” (600). How does James Hurst use the setting to create conflict or
tension in his
story?
◯ The setting sets up the family’s total destruction and collapse.
◯ The setting sets up a serene picture of the perfect childhood.
◯ The setting sets up the “storm” that is coming with Doodle’s death.
◯ The setting sets up Doodle’s internal turmoil, distress, and unhappiness.
(1 point)
30. Of the following, which answer is a theme revealed in ¨The Scarlet Ibis?¨
◯ pride
◯ money/material gain
◯ friendship
◯ joy
(1 point)