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The Pearl Test
1. What is the best description of the novella The Pearl?a) Autobiography b) Fiction
c) Nonfiction d) Biblical parable
2. Which word best describes Kino’s spirit at the beginning of the novel?
a) Depressed b) Innocent c) Somber d) Anxious
3. What is the living arrangement of Kino and family?
a) Rustic simplicity b) Opulent extravagance c) Modernized minimalism d) Stone and plaster dwelling
4. Which is the meaning of the word ceaseless as it is used in the following line, “…the early pigs were already beginning their ceaseless turning of twigs and bits of wood…”?
a) Sporadic b) Short-lived c) Ending d) Continual
5. What literary device does Steinbeck use when Kino hears various songs in his head?
a) Metaphor b) Motif c) Simile
d) Personification
6. The doctor’s relation to the world he inhabits is best described as:
a) Complex spirituality b) Benevolent generosity c) Religious adherence d) Utterly materialistic
7. The word strenuous in the following sentence, “his big stomach jiggling with the strenuous pace” means?
a) Half-hearted b) Light c) Active d) Lackluster
8. Why do the four beggars claim they know everything in town?
a) Since they are homeless, they can spend their time observing people’s actions b) They claim to be able to read the sins on the faces of confession goers
c) The hang around the church and eavesdrop on confessionals
d) They eat dinner with the local priest every night and are privy to all the confessions
9. Which line most succinctly summarizes the doctor’s attitude towards Kino’s people?
a) “It is a little Indian with a baby.”
b) “I am a doctor, not a veterinarian.”
c) “The doctor has gone out.”
d) “He requires the skill of the healer.”
10. What word best describes the word stout in the following sentence, “He was growing very stout.”
a) Heavy b) Slim c) Slender d) Flimsy
11. How does the doctor’s Indian servant feel after turning away Kino and Juana?
a) Pride b) Content c) Embarrassed d) emboldened
12. What is the best description of Kino’s rage at the doctor’s refusal?
a) Resignation b) Powerlessness c) Empowerment d) Confusion
13. What kind of inference can you make about Kino and his wife: “But the pearls were accidents, and the finding of one was luck, a little pat on the back by God or the gods or both.”?
a) They adhere to strict Catholic beliefs b) They find solace in their native gods
c) They are holding on to polytheism while embracing monotheism d) They attribute all events to fate or chance
14. When Kino’s canoe is described as the “bulwark against starvation”, the word bulwark most likely means:
a) Wall b) Safeguard c) Shelter d) Lodging
15. What does Juana use to heal the scorpion bite?
a) Medicinal herbs b) Poultice from seaweed c) Her sister-in-law’s cure-all d) The town healer’s cream
16. What literary device is Steinbeck using in the following line: “the surface of the water was an undulating mirror of brightness”?
a) Personification b) Simile
c) Motif d) Metaphor
17. The canoe represents all of the following in Kino’s life, except?
a) Family traditions b) Connection to his elders c) A source of food
d) A way out of the estuary
18. What literary device is Steinbeck using in the following line: “It was as large as a sea-gull’s egg”?
a) Simile b) Metaphor c) Personification d) Symbolism
19. When the pearl is described as one with a “ghostly gleam”, what properties are attributed to it?
a) Supernatural b) Earthly c) Priceless d) Valuable
20. What is Kino’s initial reaction to the discovery of the pearl?
a) Exuberant of the new possibilities
b) Ambivalent of the fortune that awaits him
c) Anxious of the new wealth and how it will change him d) Suspicious of what troubles it will bring
21. How is the pearl that Kino discovered referenced by the townspeople?
a) Pearl of the Earth b) Pearl of the World c) Pearl of the Sea d) Pearl of all Pearls
22. What literary device does Steinbeck employ with “it was warm and alive in his hand”?
a) Personification b) Metaphor c) Simile d) Allusion
23. What is NOT a goal Kino expresses after he successfully sells the pearl?
a) Buy a new boat
b) Get married in a church
c) Send his school for formal schooling d) Purchase a rifle
24. What literary term is employed in the following: “It would be a shame to have it stolen before you could sell it”?
a) Personification b) Simile
c) Metaphor d) Foreshadowing
25. What is Kino’s later reaction to the discovery of the pearl?
a) Exuberant of the new possibilities
b) Ambivalent of the fortune that awaits him
c) Anxious of the new wealth and how it will change him d) Suspicious of what troubles it will bring
26. What is Juana’s reaction to the pearl after Kino gets attacked in their home?
a) She expresses a desire to part with it as long as it gets a lot of money at the market b) She demands Kino abandon it as it has only brought them bad luck
c) She exerts her authority in the relationship and directs Kino to bury it d) She wishes it sells for the highest bid
27. What is the literary device used by the author in naming the town, “La Paz”?
a) Metaphor b) Irony c) Simile
d) Personification
28. What is a unifying trait of the pearl dealers?
a) Driven by greed
b) The willful defiance of authority c) Simple and fair dealings
d) Naïve ambivalence to bargain for the best price
29. How does Kino handle Juana’s comments on the nature of the pearl?
a) Dismisses her since he is the head of the household b) Agrees to finally relent to her wishes
c) Takes her as a know-it-all
d) Accepts her comments and takes it to heart 30. Why does Kino reference the number “four hundred”?
a) To demonstrate his knowledge of when Columbus arrived in the Americas
b) To show that the natives have been captive to the whims of the Spaniards for too long c) To show how long his people have resided on the estuary
d) He believes the pearl is worth at least that amount 31. Who said, “If I give it up, I shall lose my soul”?
a) Kino b) Juana c) Juan Tomas d) The doctor
32. One of the dealers is described as “fatherly and benign”. As used in the sentence, the word benign means?
a) Malignant b) Harmless c) Knowledgeable d) Dangerous
33. The first dealer hums “while his right hand practiced legerdemain.” What is the meaning of legerdemain?
a) Trickery b) Dexterity c) Flexibility d) Clumsiness
34. What reason does the first pearl buyer give for devaluing the pearl?
a) It is too small b) It is too large c) It is not round d) It is not shiny
35. What best sums up Kino’s attitude after he leaves the dealers?
a) Ready to give up
b) Patient for a dealer to come up with a better price c) Rattled over the assessment of the pearl’s poor quality d) Determined more than ever to get the best price
36. When Juan Thomas says to Kino, “You have defied not the pearl buyers, but the whole structure, the whole way of life, and I am afraid for you,” what does he imply will happen next?
a) That Kino is brave and has every right to demand the best price for the pearl b) That Kino is a strong-willed man who has the support of the inhabitants of the town c) That Kino is too headstrong and will have to pay the price for opposing strong systems d) That Kino is a leader that will be considered a martyr at the end
37. What does Kino do when he sees Juana attempting to toss the pearl in the ocean?
a) He encourages her b) He stays silent c) He beats her up
d) He threatens to kill Coyotito if she doesn’t return the pearl
38. What is the most important tool Kino has that helps him provide for his family?
a) Ax b) Knife c) Fishing rod d) Canoe
39. What does the pearl ultimately symbolize?
a) New beginnings b) Hope and evil c) Natural instincts d) Ignorance
40. What literary technique is Steinbeck using when Kino says, “I know I am like a leprosy”?
a) Metaphor b) Symbolism c) Simile
d) Personification
41. How has Kino evolved as he flees the town with his family?
a) Regret over a series of poor decisions b) Insanity has taken hold
c) Resolve to bury the pearl somewhere and come back for it d) Animal instincts binds him to hold on to the pearl at any cost 42. While fleeing town, Kino looks into the pearl, what does he see?
a) Hopeful images of a peaceful life
b) Death and destruction caused by the pearl c) A new life and beginning
d) Opportunities for Kino’s dreams to come true
43. What is the difference in how Kino interacts with the ants by his brush house versus in the wild?
a) He attempts to rule over nature in both situations
b) He attempts to rule over nature in the wild, but it has little effect
c) He attempts to manipulate nature by his brush house, but let it be in the wild d) He observes it quietly in both situations
44. What is the meaning of the word germane as it is used in the following line, “Any sound that was not germane to the night would make them alert.”?
a) Irrelevant b) Inappropriate c) Unstable d) Connected
45. Which of the following is NOT a possible theme of the novel?
a) Good versus evil b) Greed can ruin people
c) There is a way to redeem oneself d) Gender roles
46. What is a common thread binding all of Kino’s attackers?
a) They were all pearl dealers b) They were hired by the doctor c) They were never identified d) They were fellow natives
47. In the following line, what does the author compare Kino’s character to: “And Kino ran for the high place, as nearly all animals do when they are pursued”?
a) A hunted animal b) A vicious animal c) An obedient animal d) A domesticated animal
48. What literary device is Steinbeck using in the following line, “I’ve heard a coyote pup cry like a baby.”
a) Metaphor b) Irony
c) Personification d) Motif
49. What is so different about the way Kino and Juana walk back into town?
a) They walk in traditional roles, one in front of the other
b) They walk in non-traditional roles, the woman in front of the man
c) They walk side by side – a sign that they are in no state of mind to follow tradition d) They walk hand in hand – a sign that they are now united in grief
50. How is the pearl described at the end of the novella?
a) Red and shimmery b) Black like coal c) Gray and ulcerous d) Sparkling and glorious
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