Name_______________________



The Most Dangerous Game - Survival of the Fittest

(idea adapted from EMC Publishing)

The reality television series “Survivor” is popular because it has all of the elements of human conflict and drama. Contestants battle each other, nature and its forces, and themselves to survive in a primitive, isolated environment. The contestants are given limited supplies (usually, a machete, a pot, and a canteen), and they must build a shelter and forage for food. They are also given challenges that test their endurance, problem-solving abilities, teamwork, dexterity, and willpower. Because only a small number of people in a civilized society have had their survival skills tested, many are intrigued by the possibility of how they would cope with this situation. Thus, many people compete for the chance to be a contestant on the reality series. The story that you are about to read, “The Most Dangerous Game,” is a story of survival as well. The story is set in a jungle and pits one man against another in the ultimate game of survival. Although survival training is common in the military, most people would be unprepared for what they would encounter in an unknown wilderness situation. Let’s see how well your critical-thinking skills would play out in a similar situation.

To begin, form an alliance with one other person in your classroom. You and your partner will need to work through the following situation to prove to your teacher that the alliance of your minds is the strongest among all of the groups.

You and your partner are the lone survivors of a plane crash in the Amazon jungle. Knowing that it is nearly impossible to detect survivors from an air search, you and your partner realize that traveling through the jungle is your only choice.

Work with your partner to find logical solutions to these questions, and write your answers on a separate piece of paper. Be prepared to defend your decisions.

1. Search the crash site and find ten items that you both believe will be useful to place in a portable survival kit. Choose wisely by considering the hostile environment around you. List the items and the reasons why you chose them.

2. Before you leave the crash site, decide how you and your partner plan to fulfill your basic needs: water, food, shelter, and fire. Consider your jungle environment before you determine solutions to these needs.

Study Guide for “The Most Dangerous Game”

I. VOCABULARY: Be able to define the following words and understand them when they appear in the story and class discussions.

amenity_______________________________________________________________________

condone_______________________________________________________________________

cultivated____________________________________________________________________

deplorable_____________________________________________________________________

disarming______________________________________________________________________

droll____________________________________________________________________

imperative____________________________________________________________________

opiate________________________________________________________________________

precarious_____________________________________________________________________

quarry________________________________________________________________________

scruples____________________________________________________________________

tangible____________________________________________________________________

uncanny____________________________________________________________________

zealous____________________________________________________________________

Nicole was a girl with a disarming smile that charmed everyone. She had a cultivated sense of style that helped her look good, even on a bad day. She would not condone rudeness and was always kind. Her scruples even prevented her from gossiping. Everyone said it was uncanny how she knew just the right thing to do or say to make a person feel better. Her droll sense of humor could ease any tense situation. Nicole’s one passion was antique clothing. To her the clothes were a tangible link to the past, a way to touch history.

For weeks Nicole had been searching for a special gift for her mother’s birthday, something old and blue. One day, Nicole’s zealous search brought her to the Blue Moon. The quaint little shop offered its mostly older customers a cup of tea and overstuffed sofas to rest on, but Nicole had no time to enjoy either amenity. It was imperative that she find something special by dinner time. With two hours left, she was beginning to panic. As Nicole rummaged around the shop in search of her quarry, the owner asked solicitously if she needed help. He could sense that Nicole was getting desperate. As she explained her situation, he smiled. “I have just the thing.” Her eyes lit up as the man displayed a finely embroidered baby-blue shawl. Her search was over. She could picture how this gift from the past would delight her mother.

~ Write each boldfaced word from Part A beside its definition.

1. capable of being touched or felt

2. the object of a hunt

3. inspiring confidence

4. cultured in manner

5. thing that adds to one’s comfort

6. to forgive or overlook

7. amusingly odd or comical

8. feeling of uneasiness that keeps a person from doing something

9. in a manner expressing care or concern

10. absolutely necessary

11. intensely enthusiastic

12. so remarkable as to seem supernatural

~ Write the word from the list that best completes each sentence. Use each word only once.

1. I love my sister, but I cannot_______________ my sister’s terrible behavior.

2. It is _______________ that we leave now, or we’ll miss the train.

3. We were presented with _______________ results of the garden, when Dad served us vegetable soup.

4. She behaved_______________ toward her mother because she wanted to ask a favor.

5. The cat’s_______________ was a toy mouse.

6. The enthusiastic fans cheered to show their_______________ support for their team.

7. I considered lying about my homework, but my_______________ would not let me.

8. The speaker’s_______________ attitude created a sense of trust with her audience.

9. My aunt likes to seem_______________ , so she never uses informal language or slang.

10. One _______________ offered by the hotel is free Internet service.

11. Paula laughed to herself because she thought the tense situation was both a little strange and _______________.

12. It was quite a coincidence and _______________ that we both said the same thing at the same time.

13. The heating pad slowly eased the muscle pain providing an ____________ of relief.

14. The __________________ conditions of her room were intolerable considering there were dirty clothes on the floor, used dishes on her dresser, and papers piled high in the corner.

II. ANTICIAPATION GUIDE

1. List the first three games that pop into your head:

2. Are sports events in the Olympic Games really games? Justify why you think they are or aren't.

3. Do you support hunting animals as a sport? Why or why not?

4. Write all the definitions of "game" that you can think of.

5. What do you anticipate this story to be about based on these questions, and the title?

III. QUESTIONS:

Day one reading questions:

1. Do you agree with Whitney or Rainsford concerning animals? How would you label this conflict?

2. How does Whitney explain the troubled mood of the sailors as they near Ship-Trap Island?

3. Why is the island called Ship Trap Island?

4. What is the abrupt sound that startles Rainsford as he reclines in a steamer chair?

5. How does Rainsford arrive at the mysterious island?

6. Would you swim toward such a horrible sound, especially if you didn’t recognize it?

7. After Rainsford wakes up on the island, there are several things that tell him this is a scary place. What is one of those things?

Days two and three reading questions:

1. Who is the giant and how would you describe his behavior?

2. How does Zaroff describe both himself and Ivan? What do they have in common?

3. How does General Zaroff justify hunting and killing humans?

4. Do you agree with Zaroff’s opinion that “instinct is no match for reason?”

5. How does Zaroff stock his island with ‘game’?

6. What is the difference between hunting and murder?

7. Explain the rules of the game/hunt:

8. According to General Zaroff, why is Rainsford the ideal prey?

9. Describe the heads in the library.

10. Where does Rainsford spend the first night of this hunt?

11. Why does Zaroff smile and blow a smoke ring?

12. Do you think Rainsford has changed his opinion of how animals feel? Explain.

13. At what point does Zaroff think he has won? What clues make you think so?

Day four reading questions:

1. Do you think Rainsford and Zaroff are evenly matched? Is this a fair ‘game’? Explain.

2. Rainsford sets three hunting traps. Name and describe each one:

•

•

•

3. What happens to Lazarus? How does Zaroff respond to this?

4. What happens to Ivan? How?

5. How does the author create suspense and inspire fear in the reader?

6. Where is there foreshadowing at the beginning of the story?

7. “Rainsford knew now how an animal at bay feels.” What has he learned?

8. How does the story end?

9. What is a repast? Who served as a repast for the hounds?

10. Who are the hunters and huntees in our society? (Think metaphorically.)

IV. LITERARY ELEMENTS

SETTING

a)  Place –

b)  Time –

c)  Weather conditions –

d) Social conditions –

PLOT - Draw a plot diagram and fill in the appropriate information

CONFLICT

1)  Man vs. Man (physical) –

2)  Man vs. Nature –

3)  Man vs. Society (social) –

4)  Man vs. Himself/Herself (psychological) - 

CHARACTER

1. Give one direct characterization of the main character.

2. Give two indirect characterizations of the main character, and explain how you know this.

Trait a.____________. Reason:

Trait b.____________. Reason:

Which characters from the story fit these descriptions and why?

1.  Round –

2.  Dynamic –

3.  Static –

4. Flat –

POINT OF VIEW -- Point of view, or p.o.v., is defined as the angle from which the story is told. Circle which point of view is reflective of the story you read, and write a sentence explaining why this is the best choice.

First Person or Third person (omniscient or limited)

IRONY – the unexpected “twist” to a story.

Type:

When was it used in the story?

THEME -- Remember to look for Universal Human Experience After answering the following questions, try to come up with a sentence that describes the theme of this story.

1. What does Rainsford think of hunting in the beginning of the story?

2. Why is the island so difficult to get to?

3. Why does Zaroff think hunting humans is acceptable?

4. Do you think Rainsford’s attitude towards hunting changes at the end of the story?

5. If so, what causes those changes?

6. Theme Sentence:

FORESHADOWING: Provide two examples of foreshadowing. What does each foreshadow?

IMAGERY AND MOOD

Answer the following questions about mood:

A. List five images/details that help to create the mood of the story.

i.

ii.

iii.

iv.

v.

B. What is the overall mood of the story?

Figurative Language Practice: The Most Dangerous Game

1. The water was like moist black velvet. ________________

2. The sea was as flat as a plane glass window. ________________

3. Evil is a tangible thing. ________________

4. There was no sound in the night but the muffled throb of the engine that drove the yacht. ________________

5. That tough-minded old Swede would go up to the devil himself and ask him for a light. ________________

6. One superstitious sailor can taint the whole ship’s company. ________________

7. There was no sound in the night but the muffled throb of the engine and the swish and ripple and wash of the propeller. ________________

8. It’s so dark that I could sleep without closing my eyes and the night would be my eyelids. ________________ ________________

9. He strained his eyes in the direction from which the reports had come, but it was like trying to see through a blanket. ________________

10. Desperately he struck out with strong strokes… but he stopped short. ________________

11. He struggled up to the surface and tried to cry out, but the wash from the speeding yacht slapped him in the face and the salt water made him gag and strangle. ________________

12. The lights of the yacht became faint and ever-vanishing fireflies. ________________

13. With his remaining strength he dragged himself from the swirling waters. _______________

14. Sleep had given him a new vigor; a sharp hunger was picking at him. ________________

15. Bleak darkness was blacking out the sea. ________________

16. Around the chateau hung an air of unreality. ________________

17. The door opened as suddenly as if it were on a spring. ________________

18. Rainsford stood blinking in the river of glaring gold light that poured out ________________ ________________

|“The Most Dangerous Game” Extended Readings |

“The Challenges of Life”

Author: Unknown

Smooth roads never make good drivers 

Smooth seas never make good sailors 

Clear Skies never makes good Pilots. 

Problem and hassle free Life never makes a strong person 

Be Strong enough to accept the challenges of Life 

Don't ask Life, "Why Me? Instead say "Try Me!"

|1. What message about challenges does the above poem express? |

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|2. Support your answer to question 1. What in the poem supports your answer? |

|Write down one line from the poem that supports your answer. |

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|3. Explain how your chosen line supports your answer. |

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|4. Do you agree with the message of the poem? Why or why not? |

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|5. How does this poem THEMATICALLY connect to “The Most Dangerous Game”? |

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Metaphor- A comparison between two things without using “like” or “as”.

Noun=Noun

Ex. My guitar is my life.

Simile- A comparison between two things using the words “like” or “as”.

Noun is like Noun

Ex. I am like a rock.

Onomatopoeia- Words that imitate the sounds they make.

Ex. Bang, moo, boo,snap,

*Alliteration- A series of words that start with the same sound. Three or more words that begin with the same consonant sound.

Ex. Sally sold sea shells Ex. Louis likes lollipops

Hyperbole- EXTREME exaggeration

Ex. I am so hungry I could eat a cow.

*Idiom- A figure of speech that doesn’t mean what it literally says. These do not translate well into other languages.

Ex. You’re driving me crazy!

Personification- describing objects as having human-like qualities

Ex. The pencil danced across the paper.

Ex. The paint brush licked the canvas.

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