
Gatsby Test
Quiz by Alison Adamson
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29 questions
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- Q1Read the following excerpt from Chapter 1 and use it to choose the BEST answer to questions 1-2: When I came back from the East last autumn I felt that I wanted the world to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever; I wanted no more riotous excursions with privileged glimpses into the human heart. Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt from my reaction — Gatsby, who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn. If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away. This responsiveness had nothing to do with that flabby impressionability which is dignified under the name of the “creative temperament.”— it was an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person and which it is not likely I shall ever find again. 1. Which of the following BEST describes Nick's attitude towards Gatsby?Nick dislikes Gatsby's ambition.Nick is jealous of Gatsby's wealth.Nick is sensitive to Gatsby's misfortune, but he admires his resilience.Nick disapproves of what Gatsby stood for, but he respects his hopefulness.30s
- Q22. How have Nick's experiences in the war changed him?He learned how to be a better person from Gatsby.He discovered how to see the truth in people, regardless of however they try to conceal themselves.He wants a calm and more stable life, without hearing about other people's problems or secrets.He finds a way to accurately measure earthquakes.30s
- Q3Read the following excerpt from Chapter 1 and use it to choose the BEST answer to questions 3-4. The silhouette of a moving cat wavered across the moonlight, and turning my head to watch it, I saw that I was not alone — fifty feet away a figure had emerged from the shadow of my neighbor’s mansion and was standing with his hands in his pockets regarding the silver pepper of the stars. Something in his leisurely movements and the secure position of his feet upon the lawn suggested that it was Mr. Gatsby himself, come out to determine what share was his of our local heavens. I decided to call to him. Miss Baker had mentioned him at dinner, and that would do for an introduction. But I didn’t call to him, for he gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone — he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward — and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock. When I looked once more for Gatsby he had vanished, and I was alone again in the unquiet darkness. 3. How might Gatsby's actions in this excerpt symbolize his character?Trembling in the night air suggests that he is cold.Reaching his arms out suggests that he is a dreamer: someone who desires the unattainable.Disappearing before Nick can speak to him suggests that he is an introvert: someone who is more content to be alone.Keeping his hands in his pockets and then removing them suggests that he is indecisive: someone who cannot make decisions.30s
- Q44. Which word is closest in meaning to the word "leisurely"?berserkagitatedconfidentrelaxed30s
- Q5Read the following excerpt from Chapter 2 and use it to choose the BEST answer to questions 5-6: About half way between West Egg and New York the motor road hastily joins the railroad and runs beside it for a quarter of a mile, so as to shrink away from a certain desolate area of land. This is a valley of ashes — a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air. Occasionally a line of gray cars crawls along an invisible track, gives out a ghastly creak, and comes to rest, and immediately the ash-gray men swarm up with leaden spades and stir up an impenetrable cloud, which screens their obscure operations from your sight. But above the gray land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it, you perceive, after a moment, the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg. The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic — their irises are one yard high. They look out of no face, but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a nonexistent nose. Evidently some wild wag of an oculist set them there to fatten his practice in the borough of Queens, and then sank down himself into eternal blindness, or forgot them and moved away. But his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days, under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground. The valley of ashes is bounded on one side by a small foul river, and, when the drawbridge is up to let barges through, the passengers on waiting trains can stare at the dismal scene for as long as half an hour. There is always a halt there of at least a minute, and it was because of this that I first met Tom Buchanan’s mistress. 5. Which word best describes the setting of this excerpt?somberlaconicluminousgaudy30s
- Q66. Why is it fitting that "there is always a halt" with the train in the valley of ashes?The drawbridge represents the large gap between the different social classes in The Great Gatsby.During the wait for the draw bridge, the rich people of West Egg and East Egg are forced to view how poorer people live.The wait is symbolic of how long Gatsby has had to wait to reconnect with Daisy.The valley of ashes is a dull and dreary place, and being forced to wait for extended periods of time only adds to the misery of the area.30s
- Q7Read the following excerpt from Chapter 2 and use it to choose the BEST answer to questions 7: I wanted to get out and walk southward toward the park through the soft twilight, but each time I tried to go I became entangled in some wild, strident argument which pulled me back, as if with ropes, into my chair. Yet high over the city our line of yellow windows must have contributed their share of human secrecy to the casual watcher in the darkening streets, and I was him too, looking up and wondering. I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life. 7. What does this excerpt reveal about Nick's character?Nick carries deep secrets that he needs to protect.Nick does not enjoy parties and would rather be home alone.Nick is a passive person who watches, rather than participates, in events.Nick is an argumentative person who always has to have his way.30s
- Q8Read the following excerpt from Chapter 3 and use it to choose the BEST answer to questions 8-10: A stout, middle-aged man, with enormous owl-eyed spectacles, was sitting somewhat drunk on the edge of a great table, staring with unsteady concentration at the shelves of books. As we entered he wheeled excitedly around and examined Jordan from head to foot. “What do you think?” he demanded impetuously. “About what?” He waved his hand toward the book-shelves. “About that. As a matter of fact you needn’t bother to ascertain. I ascertained. They’re real.” “The books?” He nodded. “Absolutely real — have pages and everything. I thought they’d be a nice durable cardboard. Matter of fact, they’re absolutely real. Pages and — Here! Lemme show you.” Taking our scepticism for granted, he rushed to the bookcases and returned with Volume One of the “Stoddard Lectures.” “See!” he cried triumphantly. “It’s a bona-fide piece of printed matter. It fooled me. This fella’s a regular Belasco. It’s a triumph. What thoroughness! What realism! Knew when to stop, too — didn’t cut the pages. But what do you want? What do you expect?” 8. What expectation does Owl Eyes have about Gatsby's books?He expects them to be expensive.He expects them to be about the Stoddard Lectures.He expects them to be volumes on World War I.He expects them to be fake.30s
- Q99. What does Gatsby's library symbolize about the time period of the novel?The necessity of art and literature.The Roaring 20s emphasis on education.The superficial nature of the era.The value of genuine relationships.30s
- Q1010. What do Gatsby's books symbolize about himself?Gatsby is a fraud.Gatsby is rich.Gatsby is sensitive.Gatsby is well read.30s
- Q11Read the following excerpt from Chapter 4 and use it to choose the BEST answer to questions 11-12: “Who is he, anyhow, an actor?” “No.” “A dentist?” “Meyer Wolfsheim? No, he’s a gambler.” Gatsby hesitated, then added coolly: “He’s the man who fixed the World’s Series back in 1919.” “Fixed the World’s Series?” I repeated. The idea staggered me. I remembered, of course, that the World’s Series had been fixed in 1919, but if I had thought of it at all I would have thought of it as a thing that merely HAPPENED, the end of some inevitable chain. It never occurred to me that one man could start to play with the faith of fifty million people — with the single-mindedness of a burglar blowing a safe. “How did he happen to do that?” I asked after a minute. “He just saw the opportunity.” “Why isn’t he in jail?” “They can’t get him, old sport. He’s a smart man.” 11. How does Nick's description of the 1919 World Series being "fixed" reveal his opinion of Meyer Wolfshiem?Nick describes the person who fixed the World Series as a "burglar," suggesting that he views Wolfshiem as a common thief.Nick suggests that the person responsible "play[ed] with the faith of fifty million people," which suggests that Nick does not take the events seriously.Nick describes the events as "inevitable," meaning he does not blame Wolfshiem for his involvement.Nick explains he is surprised that "one man" orchestrated the event, suggesting that he respects Wolfshiem's ingenuity.30s
- Q1212. What can we infer about Gatsby given his relationship with and respect for Meyer Wolfshiem?Like Wolfshiem, Gatsby is likely someone involved in shady practices.Like Wolfshiem, Gatsby is someone interested in the World's Series.Like Wolfshiem, Gatsby is likely someone who takes advantage of opportunities.Like Wolfshiem, Gatsby is likely a respectable businessman.30s
- Q13Read the following excerpt from Chapter 5 and use it to choose the BEST answer to questions 13-14: Gatsby, his hands still in his pockets, was reclining against the mantelpiece in a strained counterfeit of perfect ease, even of boredom. His head leaned back so far that it rested against the face of a defunct mantelpiece clock, and from this position his distraught eyes stared down at Daisy, who was sitting, frightened but graceful, on the edge of a stiff chair. “We’ve met before,” muttered Gatsby. His eyes glanced momentarily at me, and his lips parted with an abortive attempt at a laugh. Luckily the clock took this moment to tilt dangerously at the pressure of his head, whereupon he turned and caught it with trembling fingers, and set it back in place. Then he sat down, rigidly, his elbow on the arm of the sofa and his chin in his hand. “I’m sorry about the clock,” he said. My own face had now assumed a deep tropical burn. I couldn’t muster up a single commonplace out of the thousand in my head. “It’s an old clock,” I told them idiotically. I think we all believed for a moment that it had smashed in pieces on the floor. 13. Which of the following best describes the tone of this section?expedientmournfulawkwardjubilant30s
- Q1414. Given what you know about the rest of the book, what could the clock in this excerpt symbolize?Gatsby's nervousness suggests that he has faked his wealth.There is no symbolism- the clock is simply in the way and Gatsby bumps into it.Gatsby's attempts to recreate the past will not be successful.Gatsby's clumsiness foreshadows future accidents ahead.30s
- Q15Read the following excerpt from Chapter 5 and use it to choose the BEST answer to questions 15-19: As I went over to say good-by I saw that the expression of bewilderment had come back into Gatsby’s face, as though a faint doubt had occurred to him as to the quality of his present happiness. Almost five years! There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams — not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion. It had gone beyond her, beyond everything. He had thrown himself into it with a creative passion, adding to it all the time, decking it out with every bright feather that drifted his way. No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart. 15. Which word is closest in meaning to "bewilderment" as used in this excerpt?revelationconfusionexpectationemotion30s