III - Stave I Quiz — Heart of Darkness

What does Marlow compare the Russian trader's appearance to when he first sees him?

• A shipwrecked sailor
• A troupe of mimes
• A military officer
• A native chief

According to the Russian, how did Kurtz obtain ivory in the region?

• He traded European goods for it
• He raided the country using armed force
• He mined it from elephant graveyards
• He purchased it from the Company stores

Why did Kurtz threaten to shoot the Russian harlequin?

• The Russian tried to leave the station
• The Russian criticized Kurtz's methods
• The Russian had a small lot of ivory Kurtz wanted
• The Russian refused to help raid a village

What does Marlow identify as "the most dangerous thing" the Russian has encountered?

• The wilderness itself
• Kurtz's armed followers
• His uncritical devotion to Kurtz
• The heads on stakes

What are the "ornamental knobs" on the fence posts actually revealed to be?

• Carved wooden totems
• Ivory pieces
• Severed human heads
• Dried animal skulls

How does the Russian describe Kurtz's effect on the native tribe?

• "They feared him"
• "They tolerated him"
• "They adored him"
• "They obeyed him"

What does Conrad mean when he writes that the wilderness revealed Kurtz to be "hollow at the core"?

• Kurtz was physically weakened by illness
• Kurtz lacked genuine moral substance beneath his eloquence
• Kurtz had lost his ability to speak persuasively
• Kurtz had given away all his possessions

Did the Russian harlequin leave Kurtz after being threatened with death?

Did Marlow immediately recognize the heads on the fence posts when he first saw them from a distance?

In the phrase "his unreflecting audacity," what does "audacity" mean?

• Foolishness
• Bold daring or reckless bravery
• Stubbornness
• Quiet determination

What does "privation" mean in "to move onwards at the greatest possible risk, and with a maximum of privation"?

• Privacy and solitude
• Personal privilege
• Extreme deprivation of basic necessities
• Dangerous encounters

When Marlow describes the head as smiling at "some endless and jocose dream," what does "jocose" mean?

• Terrifying
• Playful or humorous
• Solemn
• Mysterious