A STEP BEYOND

TESTS AND ANSWERS

TEST

_____ 1. Marlow got his post as a steamboat skipper

A. through his uncle's influence
B. when his predecessor was killed
C. upon retirement from the British Navy

_____ 2. When the company doctor learned that Marlow was sailing to the interior, he asked,

A. "Could you bring me back an elephant's tusk?"
B. "Do you expect to gain an audience with Mr. Kurtz?"
C. "Ever any madness in your family?"

_____ 3. As a company agent, Kurtz

A. failed to meet his quota repeatedly
B. sent in more ivory than anyone else
C. taught the Africans ballroom dancing

_____ 4. The brickmaker described Mr. Kurtz as

I. a prodigy
II. an emissary of pity and science
III. the devil's partner

A. I and II only
B. II and III only
C. I, II, and III

_____ 5. On the way up the river, Marlow despaired of

A. ever seeing Edinburgh again
B. ever hearing the eloquence of Kurtz
C. bringing back enough ivory to make the trip worthwhile

_____ 6. Reference is made to Kurtz's report for

A. The Africa-Asia Society
B. The International Society for the Suppression of Savage Customs
C. The Stanley-Livingstone Memorial Society

_____ 7. Joseph Conrad's remarkable Mr. Kurtz is said to personify

A. the dark side of every man
B. grace under pressure
C. the lamb surrounded by the wolves

_____ 8. In a postscript to his report, Kurtz is alleged to have scribbled

A. "Exterminate all the brutes!"
B. "Africa for the Africans!"
C. "The horror! the horror!"

_____ 9. Kurtz may be viewed as a symbol of

I. the white man's failure in Africa
II. the cultural aridity of the dark continent
III. treachery to one's brothers-mankind

A. I and II only
B. I and III only
C. II and III only

_____ 10. Marlow's lie to the woman at the end of the story dealt with Kurtz's

A. last words
B. message to the manager
C. renunciation of his mistress

11. What is the meaning of the title Heart of Darkness?

12. Examine Conrad's narrative technique in Heart of Darkness.

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