Heart of Darkness
Reading Check Form A
Name__________________________________
Part I: Matching _____ 1. Marlow's predecessor _____ 2. Immaculately dressed, he presents a contrast to the squalid scene _____ 3. snakelike in appearance _____ 4. dresses like a harlequin _____ 5. helps Marlow get his job on the steamship _____ 6. interested in the changes in men working in Africa, measures Marrow's head _____ 7. as a child, curiosity aroused by blank spaces on map _____ 8. poet, musician, artist, and orator _____ 9. company agents waiting for their assignments _____10. nursed Kurtz; stands on the riverbank when he leaves _____11. crew on the steamship _____12. leader of the Eldorado Trading Expedition _____13. knit at the company's headquarters _____14. receives a packet of letters and a portrait from Marlow _____15. killed in the attempt to rescue Kurtz
A. B.
the helmsman the chief accountant
C. the Russian D. the cannibals E. the Congo River F.
Marlow's aunt
G. H. I. J. K. L. M. N. O.
Marlow the Intended women in black the company doctor the mistress Fresleven the manager's uncle Kurtz the pilgrims
Part II: True/False Please write a plus sign + if the statement is true, and a zero 0 if the statement is false. _____ 1. Marlow is not sitting on the deck of the Nellie at the opening of the novel. _____ 2. Kurtz's report to the International Society proves that he really admires the natives. _____ 3. A Lawyer was one of the listeners to Marlow's tale. _____ 4. The doctor's name was Fresleven. _____ 5. The accountant was insensitive to the natives. _____ 6. Kurtz harvested rubber trees in the Congo. _____ 7. The natives on shore are frightened away by the boat whistle. _____ 8. There were seven characters on board the yawl at the beginning of Chapter One. _____ 9. Fifty miles below the Inner Station Marlow finds a book that contains what appears to be cipher. _____10. The knobs on top of the poles at the Inner Station were human heads. _____11. The Intended married shortly after Marlow's return to London. _____12. Marlow tells the Intended the complete truth about Kurtz. _____13. The harlequin figure is obsessed with Kurtz.
Part III: Multiple Choice _____ 1. The narrator for the majority of the novel is (a) Marlow (b) an old sailor (c) Kurtz (d) the Accountant. _____ 2. Marlow tends to be (a) an egotist (b) observant and willing to comment (c) modest and cowardly (d) elusive and intentionally deceptive. _____ 3. Kurtz is the perfect example of (a) a successful philanthropist in Africa (b) the European's failure in Africa (c) a technological genius (d) a lunatic who doesn’t understand his own actions. _____ 4. One of the lessons Conrad tries to impart to us through Marlow is that (a) the 'heart of darkness' exists only in Africa (b) Imperialism is problematic (c) we all must work whether we like it or not (d) Africans are not to be trusted. _____ 5. The infamous Mr. Kurtz (a) appears for the first time at the very outset of the novel (b) is actually part of the action for only a few pages (c) never actually appears in the novel (d) is the unnamed narrator. _____ 6 Through Marlow, Conrad suggests that work (a) keeps people sane (b) causes many hardships (c) drives people insane (d) is only important to Europeans.
Part IV: Chronology of events Indicate the proper sequence of the events as related in the novel below by writing 1 in front of the first, 2 in front of the second, etc. Continue to 10. Do not confuse these with the order in which they actually occur; we hear the story in a certain sequence for a reason, so list THAT order. _____ 1. Marlow meets the chief accountant. _____ 2. The natives attack the steamship. _____ 3. The Nellie sits at anchor on the Thames as evening comes on. _____ 4. Kurtz dies. _____ 5. Marlow visits the company office and the doctor. _____ 6. Marlow finds his steamer at the bottom of the river. _____ 7. Marlow meets the Russian. _____ 8. Marlow visits the Intended. _____ 9. Marlow overhears the conversation between the manager and his uncle. _____10. Marlow takes a French steamer down the coast of Africa.