Rip Van Winkle

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Reading Check

1. Where does the story of Rip Van Winkle take place?

2. What is Rip described as having an aversion to?

3. Who, in Rip’s family, does he consider to be as “henpecked” as himself?

4. What is the man Rip meets in the woods carrying?

5. How long has Rip been missing from his village after he awakens on the mountain?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What are Rip Van Winkle’s strengths and vices, and how do they impact his relationship with his neighbors?

2. Describe Rip Van Winkle’s relationship with his wife. How does their relationship impact the function of their home?

3. What does Rip identify as being unusual when he wakes up from his sleep? What does he suspect to be the cause of these unusual happenings, and at which moment does he suspect something nefarious has happened to him?

4. Compare the mannerisms of Rip’s former village to the newer, more modern village. How have the attitudes, identity, and culture of the village shifted?

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