II - Stave IV Quiz — Heart of Darkness

What does the helmsman do that leads to his death?

• He jumps overboard to swim to shore
• He opens the shutter and fires the Martini-Henry rifle
• He tries to retrieve the sounding-pole
• He runs to the bow to pull up the anchor

How does Marlow stop the native attack on the steamboat?

• He fires a cannon at the shore
• He orders the pilgrims to charge into the bush
• He blasts the steam whistle repeatedly
• He runs the steamboat aground to block the arrows

Why does Marlow throw the helmsman's body overboard?

• The manager orders him to do so
• He wants to prevent the cannibals from eating the body
• The body is blocking the steering wheel
• He follows a traditional naval burial custom

What does Kurtz's report conclude with as a scrawled postscript?

• "God save the Queen"
• "Exterminate all the brutes!"
• "The horror! The horror!"
• "We must civilize them at any cost"

How does Marlow primarily conceive of Kurtz in this section?

• As a ruthless ivory trader
• As a voice and gift of expression
• As a military commander
• As a religious missionary

What does the Russian harlequin look like when Marlow first sees him?

• A tall man in a white suit with a pith helmet
• A boyish figure in clothes covered with bright colored patches
• A gaunt, bearded man waving a rifle
• A native chief wearing ceremonial garb

According to Marlow, what quality do both the helmsman and Kurtz lack?

• Intelligence
• Courage
• Restraint
• Ambition

Did the pilgrims' gunfire actually hit any of the native attackers?

Did Marlow arrive at the Inner Station to find Kurtz already dead?

In the text, Marlow describes seeing "vague forms of men running bent double, leaping, gliding, distinct, incomplete, evanescent." What does "evanescent" mean?

• Violent and aggressive
• Quickly fading or disappearing
• Brightly illuminated
• Moving in a circular pattern

Marlow says Kurtz's report evoked "an exotic Immensity ruled by an august Benevolence." What does "august" mean in this context?

• Relating to the month of August
• Respected and impressive; inspiring reverence
• Ancient and outdated
• Strict and authoritarian

Marlow describes his memory of the time as "impalpable, like a dying vibration of one immense jabber." What does "impalpable" mean?

• Extremely painful
• Unable to be felt by touch; intangible
• Easily forgotten
• Loud and overwhelming