The Scarlet Ibis Selection Test

Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

Comprehension
The questions below refer to the selection The Scarlet Ibis.

____ 1. The action of this story takes place

a. in a green-draped parlor c. in a rural Southern town
b. at Old Woman Swamp d. in a French town

____ 2. What does William Armstrong do to earn his nickname?

a. He doodles and sketches.
b. It takes him a long time to learn things.
c. The way he says his name makes it sound like Doodle.
d. He crawls backwards like a doodlebug.

____ 3. The narrator pulls Doodle in a cart because

a. hes told to take Doodle wherever he goes
b. he feels sorry for Doodle
c. go-carts were popular in the South
d. he is teaching him to be independent

____ 4. The central conflict in The Scarlet Ibis comes from the narrators inability to accept his
a. brothers limitations c. family responsibilities
b. parents values d. own weaknesses

____ 5. When the narrator teaches Doodle to walk, the narrator believes that
a. it will free him from Doodle
b. he can teach Doodle to do other things, too
c. his parents will appreciate him more
d. Doodle will abandon him

____ 6. During the story, Doodle

a. learns to swim as well as his brother c. nurses the fallen ibis back to health
b. refuses to learn to walk d. begs his brother not to leave him alone
____ 7. One example of the narrators cruelty to his brother is when the narrator
a. is ashamed of Doodle c. names Doodle after a bug
b. makes Doodle bury the ibis d. pretends he doesnt have a brother

____ 8. Which of the following statements contains figurative language?

a. Doodle has a weak heart that is easily strained.
b. The flower garden is neat, and the house is perfectly white.
c. The smell of the graveyard flowers softly says names of the dead.
d. Doodle and the narrator want to live in the swamp when they are grown men.

____ 9. From the way Doodle buries the ibis, you can infer that Doodle
a. is just as cruel as his brother c. will do anything to get attention
b. is obedient but strong-willed d. is afraid of the natural world

____ 10. When the two brothers race home to beat the storm, Doodle
a. decides to take a different route c. tries to keep up but falls behind
b. outruns his brother d. pretends to be lost

11. Which of the following LEAST drives the narrator to persist in his work with Doodle?
a. his pride
b. his optimism
c. his parents urging
d. his love for Doodle

12. All of the following are reasonable explanations for Doodles willingness to push himself
EXCEPT he wants to:
a. die
b. lead an active life
c. please his brother
d. be able to go to school

13. The actions of Doodles parents reveal that they expect the narrator to:
a. pick on Doodle
b. love and protect Doodle
c. prevent Doodle from dying
d. be embarrassed by Doodle
14. Doodles lies reveal that he is:
a. bitter
b. imaginative
c. not all there
d. prepared to die

15. Doodles parents respond to his walking with:

a. joy
b. horror
c. mild anger
d. worried concern

16. Who is the most affected by the death of the scarlet ibis?
a. Doodle
b. Aunt Nicey
c. the father
d. the mother

17. The Scarlet Ibis serves as a symbol for

a. Doodle
b. Aunt Nicey
c. the father
d. Brother

18. All of the following quotations foreshadow Doodles death EXCEPT:

a. Dead birds is bad luck, said Aunt Nicey, poking her head in from the kitchen door.
b. They named him William Armstrong, which was like tying a big tail on a small kite. Such a
name sounds good only on a tombstone.
c. Renaming my brother was perhaps the kindest thing I ever did for him, because nobody
expects much from someone called Doodle.
d. The five oclocks by the chimney still marked time, but the oriole nest in the elm was
untenanted and rocked back and forth like an empty cradle.

19. The best symbol for Brother in this story is

a. The storm
b. A proud vine
c. A crow
d. The coffin

20. The description of Doodles last summer as blighted foreshadows _

A Doodles birth
B Doodles coming death
C the scarlet ibis
D life in the South
 21. What does this simile indicate?
They named him William Armstrong, which was like tying a big tail on a small kite.
A The babys abilities are amazing.
B Babies do not need decoration.
C The babys name is too grand.
D Coming up with names is tricky.

22. Which of the following sentences contains a simile?

A He collapsed onto the grass like a half-empty flour sack.
B For the first time he became one of us.
C He was a burden in many ways.
D Finally, I could see I was licked.

23. Which of the following sentences contains a simile?

A The flower garden was brown.
B A grindstone stands where the bleeding tree stood.
C The oriole nest rocked back and forth like an empty cradle.
D The pale fence across the yard stands straight.

Literary Focus
The questions below refer to the selection The Scarlet Ibis.

____ 24. In fiction a symbol can be described as a(n)

a. mood or emotion a story evokes
b. an object that stands for something other than itself
c. comparison between two unlike objects
d. story that can be understood on more than one level

____ 25. Which of the following events best symbolizes Doodles fate?
a. Doodle crawls backwards, not forwards.
b. The scarlet ibis falls from the tree and dies.
c. Doodle tells lies about people with wings.
d. Doodle hears the rain frog.

____ 26. The terrible storm could be a symbol for

a. Doodles disability c. Mamas anxiety
b. the scarlet ibis d. the narrators inner conflict

____ 27. What might the war symbolize in The Scarlet Ibis?
a. The narrators own struggle c. The ibiss fight for survival
b. Life in the rural South d. World War I
28. The first few paragraphs (exposition) establish the ______ and create the _________ of
the story.
a. Setting Atmosphere
b. Atmosphere Climax
c. Plot Characters
d. Dynamic Static

29. Brother is a ________ and ___________ character.

a. Static Flat
b. Static Round
c. Dynamic Round
d. Dynamic Flat

30. The main conflict in this story is

a. Person v. Person
b. Person v. Nature
c. Internal
d. External

31. One possible theme for this story is

a. Brothers are mean.
b. People should accept what they cannot change, and value everyones unique
characteristics.
c. Dont push people beyond what they want to do.
d. Everyone feels guilty about something.

32. The Point of View of this story is

a. Third person limited
b. Third person omniscient
c. First person
d. Second person

33. The repetition of related bird symbols in this story creates a

a. Litany
b. Motif
c. Metaphor
d. Theme