Question 1 of 10
What does accumulated mean in 'the driven snow had accumulated into one huge, unsteady, fairy-tale bridge'?
A) Scattered in all directions by the wind
B) Melted and turned to water
C) Gradually built up and collected over time
D) Exploded suddenly without warning
Question 2 of 10
What does fragile mean in 'suspended upon a fragile web of creaking branches'?
A) Delicate and easily broken
B) Thick and very strong
C) Covered in ice and frost
D) Hidden from view
Question 3 of 10
What does reared mean when 'Fortune gave a surprised scream, and reared'?
A) Collapsed to the ground in fear
B) Rose up on its hind legs
C) Turned around to face the opposite direction
D) Galloped away at full speed
Question 4 of 10
The phrase 'a shower of snow jetted downwards like water from a fall' is an example of which technique?
A) Metaphor — the snow is said to be water
B) Personification — the snow is given human actions
C) Onomatopoeia — the words sound like falling water
D) Simile — the snow is compared to a waterfall using 'like'
Question 5 of 10
'Crack!' is an example of which literary technique?
A) Simile — it compares the sound to something else
B) Personification — the sound is given human qualities
C) Onomatopoeia — the word sounds like the sharp noise it describes
D) Alliteration — the same sound is repeated at the start of words
Question 6 of 10
Why is the simile 'Blocks of ice as big as stage-coaches pitched along the bottom like marbles' so effective?
A) It contains two contrasting comparisons — 'stage-coaches' shows the blocks are enormous, while 'marbles' shows the avalanche tosses them as if they weigh nothing
B) It tells us the ice blocks were round and smooth like real marbles
C) It shows the avalanche was gentle and the ice moved slowly
D) It proves the ice blocks were actually quite small and not dangerous
Question 7 of 10
How does the writer build tension in the moments before the avalanche strikes?
A) By describing beautiful mountain scenery that makes the reader feel calm
B) By showing the ice bridge breaking gradually — dropping, cracking, dark lines spreading — while Portugee grows more desperate
C) By having Portugee calmly explain his escape plan to Fortune
D) By describing the wolves running away before the avalanche starts
Question 8 of 10
Why does the writer describe 'horse and rider, wolves and foxes' fleeing side by side as 'one amazing moment'?
A) Because the animals are running faster than they have ever run before
B) Because Portugee has tamed the wolves and they now obey him
C) Because it is rare to see foxes and wolves in the same place
D) Because mortal enemies who were about to fight to the death are now fleeing side by side, united by a terror greater than their hostility
Question 9 of 10
The simile 'Branches of firs broke and splintered like matchsticks' is effective because:
A) It shows the trees were already dead and dry before the avalanche
B) It creates a cheerful, playful image of the avalanche
C) Matchsticks are thin and snap effortlessly — comparing strong tree branches to them shows the avalanche has overwhelming, unstoppable force
D) It tells us the branches caught fire during the avalanche
Question 10 of 10
What effect does the use of dramatic irony create when Fortune 'faced the wolves, unaware of the falling terror behind'?
A) The reader knows about both dangers but Fortune only sees the wolves — this creates tension because we can see the disaster approaching while the horse cannot
B) It makes the passage funny because the horse is looking the wrong way
C) It shows Fortune is a stupid horse that doesn't understand danger
D) It proves the wolves were more dangerous than the avalanche