Three Skeleton Key

Why does the narrator take the job at Three Skeleton Key?

• He wants to set aside some money before he gets married.
• He wants to protect the lighthouse.
• He wants to watch the ships sail by at night.

Why is it unusual for the lighthouse keepers to see a ship in their waters?

• Sailors are afraid of the "Flying Dutchman."
• The waters are treacherous.
• The island is off-limits to sailors.

Why does the narrator watch the Cornelius de Witt with tears in his eyes?

• He knows that all the men on board the ship are dead.
• He knows that the ship is about to be wrecked.
• He knows that the rats are on board the ship.

How does the narrator convince us that the sea rats in this story are of the worst possible sort?

• He says that the rats are able to scratch and tear through wood, metal, and glass.
• He says that Dutch sea rats eat dogs, cats, men, sharks, and one another.
• He tells the story of the two terrier dogs on a Dutch ship that were eaten by sea rats.

Why do the officers and crew of the first patrol boat look at the lighthouse with a horrified expression?

• Sharks are circling the island.
• The light is completely covered by a seething mass of rats.
• Sharks are hungrily devouring the rats.

All of the following strategies are used to rescue the three men from the island except

• the crew tempt the rats onto a barge filled with meat
• the lighthouse keepers set fire to the island
• the crew drench the barge with gasoline and then set it on fire

In a story filled with suspense, a reader feels

• sadness about the fate of the characters
• anxious curiosity
• overwhelming joy

Which of the following details found early in the story enables you to predict that "Three Skeleton Key" will be a frightening tale? (foreshadowing)

• The history of the island
• The work that had to be done at the lighthouse
• The revolving beam of light

Which of the following is an example of foreshadowing?

• A man dreams of the three convicts' skeletons.
• Some of the rats fall into the ocean and are eaten by sharks.
• The narrator sees the Dutch ship heading for the island.

Which of the following details is not intended to create suspense?

• The waters around the key swarm with hungry sharks.
• The framework of one window is eaten away and sags inward.
• Through their glasses, the men see a barge.