Wk17 Quiz: The Ransom of Red Chief

Which sentence from the story is most likely meant to produce curiosity in the reader?

• "It looked like a good thing: but wait till I tell you."

• "There was a town down there, as flat as a flannel-cake, and called Summit."

• "We talked it over on the front steps of the hotel."

• "We selected for our victim the only child of a prominent citizen named Ebenezer Dorset."

What can the reader infer from the following passage? We talked it over on the front steps of the hotel. Philoprogenitiveness, says we, is strong in semi-rural communities; therefore and for other reasons, a kidnapping project ought to do better there than in the radius of newspapers that send reporters out in plain clothes to stir up talk about such things. We knew that Summit couldn’t get after us with anything stronger than constables and maybe some lackadaisical bloodhounds and a diatribe or two in the Weekly Farmers’ Budget. So, it looked good.

• The kidnappers dislike journalism.

• The narrator and Bill think a rural setting is the best place to hatch their scheme.

• The narrator is having second thoughts about committing a crime.

• Summit is filled with criminals.

What does the following text reveal about Bill? "Hey, little boy!" says Bill, "would you like to have a bag of candy and a nice ride?" The boy catches Bill neatly in the eye with a piece of brick. "That will cost the old man an extra five hundred dollars," says Bill, climbing over the wheel.

• He is fearful that Johnny’s father will punish him for kidnapping his son.

• He indulges his imagination when working on a kidnapping scheme.

• He is going to raise the ransom amount because he has been injured.

• Johnny recognizes Bill from a previous encounter.

What can the reader most likely infer about Johnny's reaction to being kidnapped?

• He considers it an adventure.

• Johnny is desperate for his father to rescue him.

• He decides to plan his revenge.

• Johnny misses his mother terribly.

Which statement best describes Johnny’s relationship with his kidnappers?

• Johnny has injured the narrator’s shoulder.

• Johnny is planning his escape from Bill and the narrator.

• Johnny is terrified of Bill.

• The kidnappers are afraid of Johnny.

Which quote from the excerpt most strongly supports the correct answer to question 5?

• I waited an hour and then concluded the thing was square.

• I went out and caught that boy and shook him until his freckles rattled.

• That boy had Bill terrorized from the start.

• Then we had supper; and he filled his mouth full of bacon and bread and gravy, and began to talk.

Which inference can be best made about Ebenezer Dorset?

• He hopes to take revenge on Bill.

• He is unwilling to pay the full ransom because he knows the captors are probably annoyed with Johnny.

• He is terribly distraught about his son’s disappearance.

• He wants his son to learn a lesson from the kidnapping.

Which sentence from the excerpt most strongly supports the correct answer to question 7?

• A. "Do you think anybody will pay out money to get a little imp like that back home?" Incorrect. This quote shows Bill questioning whether the parents will even want Johnny to return.

• B. "If you attempt any treachery or fail to comply with our demand as stated, you will never see your boy again." Incorrect. This quote is part of the ransom letter from Bill and the narrator and does not reflect an understanding of Dorset.

• C. "I think you are a little high in your demands, and I hereby make you a counter-position, which I am inclined to believe you will accept." Correct. Dorset makes a reasonable counter-offer to the kidnappers to instead pay him; he understands his son is a handful and knows they will want to rid themselves of Johnny as soon as possible.

• D. "His father peeled him away gradually, like a porous plaster." Incorrect. This quote simply shows that Dorset must forcibly remove his son from Bill's leg but does not reflect an understanding of Dorset.

Instructions for Student: Match each underlined vocabulary word with its corresponding synonym.

• twined

• lazy

• treachery

• twisted

• brake

• deception

• lackadaisical

• thicket

Order the events as they take place in the passage:

• FIFTH

• Bill and the narrator offer Johnny candy if he will take a ride in the buggy; Johnny struggles but is taken to the cave hideout.

• FIRST

• The narrator visits Poplar Cove to determine whether the people of Summit know if Johnny is missing.

• THIRD

• Ebenezer Dorset responds to the ransom letter, and Bill and the narrator take Johnny home.

• FOURTH

• Johnny hits Bill with a rock from his sling and the narrator threatens to take Johnny home if he does not behave.

• SECOND

• Johnny pretends to be Red Chief; he declares Bill "Old Hank the Trapper" and the narrator "Snake-eye the Spy."