guess the definition
Word: Florid
Passage: "His ideas, though somewhat polished and sharpened by the progressiveness of distant Latin neighbors, were still large, florid, and untrammeled..."
Question: What does florid most likely mean in this context?
A) Pale and lacking color
B) Elaborate or excessively intricate
C) Simple and straightforward
D) Dull and uninteresting
Answer:B) Elaborate or excessively intricate
Explanation: Florid describes the king's ideas as elaborate and ornate, reflecting his extravagant imagination.
Word: Amphitheater
Passage: "This vast amphitheater, with its encircling galleries..."
Question: What is an amphitheater?
A) A small room for private meetings
B) An open circular or oval building with tiers of seats
C) A royal palace
D) A marketplace
Answer: B) An open circular or oval building with tiers of seats
Explanation: An amphitheater is a large, open venue used for public events, fitting the description of the king's arena.
Device: Irony
Passage: "Its perfect fairness is obvious."
Question: What type of irony is present in this statement about the king's justice system?
A) Verbal irony
B) Situational irony
C) Dramatic irony
D) Cosmic irony
Answer: A) Verbal irony
Explanation: The statement is ironic because the justice system is arbitrary, not fair, highlighting verbal irony.
Passage: "...a daughter as blooming as his most florid fancies..."
Question: What does this simile convey about the princess?
A) She is rebellious
B) She is unattractive
C) She is vibrant and beautiful
D) She is dull and lifeless
Answer: C) She is vibrant and beautiful
Explanation: The simile compares the princess's beauty to the king's elaborate ideas, emphasizing her allure.
Word: Untrammeled
Passage: "...were still large, florid, and untrammeled, as became the half of him which was barbaric."
Question: What does untrammeled mean?
A) Restricted or confined
B) Free and unrestrained
C) Organized and orderly
D) Confused or chaotic
Answer: B) Free and unrestrained
Explanation: Untrammeled indicates that the king's ideas were free from constraints, aligning with his barbaric nature.
Word: Impartial
Passage: "...by the decrees of an impartial and incorruptible chance."
Question: What does impartial mean?
A) Biased or prejudiced
B) Fair and unbiased
C) Indifferent or uncaring
D) Easily influenced
Answer: B) Fair and unbiased
Explanation: Impartial means not favoring one side, aligning with the concept of chance being fair in the arena's judgments.
Device: Foreshadowing
Passage: "He was greatly given to self-communing, and, when he and himself agreed upon anything, the thing was done."
Question: How does this passage serve as foreshadowing?
A) It predicts the king's future isolation
B) It hints at the king's unilateral decision-making
C) It suggests the king's eventual downfall
D) It indicates the king's wisdom
Answer: B) It hints at the king's unilateral decision-making
Explanation: The passage foreshadows the king's tendency to make decisions without counsel, impacting the story's events.
passage: “This vast amphitheater, with its encircling galleries, its mysterious vaults, and its unseen passages... was an agent of poetic justice.”
Question: What rhetorical strategy is used by placing the grandeur of the amphitheater next to the violent and barbaric outcomes of the trials?
A) Analogy
B) Juxtaposition
C) Euphemism
D) Allusion
Answer: B) Juxtaposition
Explanation: The author contrasts the sophisticated architecture of the arena with the primitive justice system to highlight the absurd contradiction between civility and cruelty.
Word: Epithalamic
Passage: "...dancing maidens blowing joyous airs on golden horns and treading an epithalamic measure..."
Question: What does epithalamic refer to?
A) A funeral procession
B) A battle march
C) A wedding celebration
D) A royal coronation
Answer: C) A wedding celebration
Explanation: Epithalamic pertains to a song or poem celebrating a marriage, fitting the context of the arena weddings.
Word: Incorrigible
Passage: "He was greatly given to self-communing, and, when he and himself agreed upon anything, the thing was done."
Question: While incorrigible isn't directly used, which word best describes the king's behavior?
A) Flexible
B) Stubborn
C) Indecisive
D) Passive
Answer: B) Stubborn
Explanation: The king's tendency to act solely on his own decisions without external input reflects a stubborn nature.
Device: Ambiguity
Passage: "And so I leave it with all of you: Which came out of the opened door—the lady, or the tiger?"
Question: What literary device is used in the story's ending?
A) Resolution
B) Ambiguity
C) Climax
D) Denouement
Answer: B) Ambiguity
Explanation: The story ends without revealing the outcome, leaving it open to interpretation, exemplifying ambiguity.
Device: Tone
Passage:“The institution was very popular. When the people gathered together in the arena, they never knew whether they were to witness a bloody slaughter or a hilarious wedding.”
Question: What tone is being used in this description of public entertainment?
A) Sympathetic
B) Somber
C) Satirical
D) Melancholic
Answer: C) Satirical
Explanation: The author mocks society's acceptance of cruelty by treating deadly or joyous outcomes with the same cheerful tone, suggesting a critique of the audience’s indifference.
Word: Decrees
Passage: "...crime was punished, or virtue rewarded, by the decrees of an impartial and incorruptible chance."
Question: What are decrees?
A) Suggestions or advice
B) Official orders or decisions
C) Random events
D) Personal opinions
Answer: B) Official orders or decisions
Explanation: Decrees are authoritative orders, here referring to the outcomes decided by chance in the king's arena.
Word: Wended
Passage: "...the vast audience...wended slowly their homeward way..."
Question: What does wended mean?
A) Rushed
B) Meandered
C) Proceeded or went
D) Danced
Answer: C) Proceeded or went
Explanation: Wended means to go in a specified direction, describing the audience leaving the arena.
Device: Symbolism
Passage: "The arena of the king was built...for purposes far better adapted to widen and develop the mental energies of the people."
Question: What does the arena symbolize?
A) Entertainment
B) Justice
C) Arbitrary fate and the illusion of choice
D) Architectural advancement
Answer: C) Arbitrary fate and the illusion of choice
Explanation: The arena represents the randomness of fate and the illusion of free will under the king's rule.
Passage:“The moment of truth had arrived. The youth turned, and with a firm and rapid step he walked across the empty space. Every heart stopped beating, every breath was held...”
Question: What rhetorical strategy is used to build emotional tension before the climax?
A) Hyperbole
B) Suspense
C) Irony
D) Pathos
Answer: B) Suspense
Explanation: The buildup of heart-stopping anticipation in the reader right before the youth opens the door is a classic use of suspense to maintain engagement.
Word: Barbaric
Passage: "In the very olden time there lived a semi-barbaric king..."
Question: What does barbaric mean?
A) Cultured and refined
B) Primitive and uncivilized
C) Technologically advanced
D) Peaceful and gentle
Answer: B) Primitive and uncivilized
Explanation: Barbaric describes someone as uncivilized or primitive, highlighting the king's harsh methods.
Word: Doleful
Passage: "...doleful iron bells were clanged..."
Question: What does doleful mean?
A) Joyful
B) Mournful
C) Loud
D) Melodious
Answer: B) Mournful
Explanation: Doleful conveys sorrow or mourning, matching the context of the bells signaling a tragic outcome.
Device: Metaphor
Passage: "She was the apple of his eye..."
Question: What does this metaphor suggest about the king's feelings for his daughter?
A) He finds her annoying
B) She is his favorite
C) He is indifferent towards her
D) She is a burden
Answer: B) She is his favorite
Explanation: The metaphor indicates that the princess is cherished above all by the king.
Passage:“How in her grievous reveries had she gnashed her teeth, and torn her hair, when she saw his start of rapturous delight as he opened the door of the lady!”
Question: What rhetorical device does the author use to stir strong feelings in the reader about the princess’s internal suffering?
A) Ethos
B) Logos
C) Pathos
D) Allegory
Answer: C) Pathos
Explanation: Vivid imagery of the princess's emotional torment appeals to the reader’s compassion, emphasizing the emotional conflict central to the story.