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San Pasqual Academy

Points: English 9 and 10 - Ms. Priester
___/135 “The Lady, or the Tiger” Test
Comprehension Multiple Choice (7 points each)
1. The setting for “The Lady, or the Tiger?” takes place in a(an)—
a. fictional kingdom
b. tropical island
c. football stadium
d. courthouse

2. The king does not —

a. despise (hate) his daughter’s lover
b. enjoy trials with a jury and a judge
c. like to play with people’s lives
d. have absolute (total) power

3. According to the king’s system of justice, each prisoner has to –-

a. fight a vicious tiger
b. confess or be killed
c. die for his crimes
d. open one of two doors

4. Under the kind’s justice system, a person’s guilt or innocence is decided by –-

a. the king’s daughter
b. a military tribunal court
c. a royal court
d. his or her own choice

5. The king’s daughter is –

a. passive
b. empathetic
c. jealous
d. curious

6. The king’s daughter knows –

a. what is behind each door
b. of the prisoner’s plans for escape
c. the combination of the lock
d. where to find the underground tunnel

7. The king’s daughter knows that the lady is –

a. an immigrant
b. quite ugly
c. beautiful competition
d. her oldest friend

8. The young man “knew in his soul” that his lover would –
a. beg the king for money
b. tell him which door to pick
c. turn her back on him
d. marry someone else

9. The king’s daughter might point to the “tiger’s” door, because she –
a. knows her lover will be killed anyway
b. is flustered and confused under pressure
c. hopes to please her father and inherit the kingdom
d. thinks her lover will be better dead than married to another
N.Priester Page 1 of 3
12/3/2009
From: Holt Literature and Language Arts: Third Course
 10.What happens at the end?
a. The lover chooses the tiger.
b. The king’s daughter saves his life.
c. It’s up to us to decide.
d. We find out which door held the tiger.
(___/70)

Focus on Irony & Ambiguity Questions (10 points each)

11. Which of the following examples does not contain verbal irony?
a. The narrator comments on the “perfect fairness” of the king’s justice kingdom.
b. It was the duty and privilege of the person on trial to open one of the doors.
c. The king refuses to let facts interfere with his system of justice.
d. The tiger was the “fiercest and most cruel” that could be found.

12.The narrator only implies (hints) that the –

a. king is semibarbarian
b. king’s daughter is insecure
c. young man is honest
d. king sees the error in his ways

13.The ending of the story is ambiguous, because we don’t know –

a. what the king’s daughter decides to do
b. the identity of the lady behind the door
c. whether the king will show mercy
d. what the imprisoned man is thinking

14.The author of this story uses irony to –

a. confuse the reader
b. encourage the reader to think
c. tell us what might happen next
d. help us identify with the characters
(___/40)

Vocabulary Development (3 points each)

On the line provided, write the best vocabulary word for each sentence. On the line provided, write
each word next to the appropriate definition.
exuberant impartial dire retribution deliberation

15. The king believed that chance was completely fair and ___________________________.
16. The situation was so ___________________________ that the princess was up half the night worrying
about what to do.
17. From the dungeon the prisoner could hear the wild and ___________________________ cries of the
assembled crowd.
18. The princess acted quickly; she wasted no time in endless ___________________________.
(___/12)

Warning! If you do not attempt to answer most of the written section, your
entire test will not be graded.

N.Priester Page 2 of 3
12/3/2009
From: Holt Literature and Language Arts: Third Course
Written Response (points are indicated within the prompt)
19. How does the ambiguity at the end of “The Lady, or the Tiger?” affect the reader? (__/10)
Describe two ideas from the story to support your ideas—do not write “the bride or the tiger.”
(__/10)
Write your responses in paragraph form, using grade-level writing skills. Simple answers will earn
simple scores.(__/5)
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N.Priester Page 3 of 3
12/3/2009
From: Holt Literature and Language Arts: Third Course