The Story of a Panic quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Where does the story take place?

   • Correct answer: The chestnut woods above Ravello, Italy
   • A seaside resort near Naples, Italy
   • A country estate in northern England
   • A villa in the hills above Florence, Italy

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2. 2

   Question 2. How is Eustace described before the incident in the woods?

   • Bookish and studious but physically frail
   • Cheerful and friendly but overly sensitive
   • Athletic and outgoing but academically weak
   • Correct answer: Pale, listless, and reluctant to exercise

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3. 3

   Question 3. What is Mr. Sandbach's background and role in the group?

   • A family physician monitoring Eustace's health
   • A retired military officer touring the continent
   • Correct answer: A former curate who is tutoring Eustace
   • A wealthy art collector visiting Italian galleries

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4. 4

   Question 4. Who narrates the story, and what is his profession?

   • Mr. Sandbach, a clergyman and Eustace's tutor
   • Correct answer: Mr. Tytler, an English tourist and family man
   • Gennaro, the young Italian waiter at the hotel
   • Leyland, a would-be artist visiting Ravello

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5. 5

   Question 5. What is the correct sequence of events during and immediately after the panic?

   • Sandbach tells the Pan legend, darkness falls, screaming begins, everyone scatters
   • Correct answer: Eustace blows his whistle, silence falls, the group flees, they find Eustace smiling
   • The group hears thunder, rain begins, they flee, they find Eustace unconscious
   • Leyland argues about art, wind rises, animals attack, the group runs to safety

   Eustace's earsplitting whistle comes first; then the terrible silence and the catspaw of wind running down the ridge, the panic, and the flight down the hillside. When the party climbs back, Eustace is lying on his back, smiling. There is no thunderstorm, no unconscious boy and no animal attack in the story.

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6. 6

   Question 6. How does Rose differ from the other adults in her reaction to the panic?

   • She runs the fastest and reaches safety before everyone
   • She does not feel any fear at all during the event
   • Correct answer: She nearly stays behind, sensing the fear would pass
   • She immediately prays for divine protection from evil

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7. 7

   Question 7. What does Mr. Sandbach believe caused the panic in the woods?

   • Mass hysteria caused by heat and exhaustion
   • Eustace's whistle disturbing a dangerous animal
   • A natural phenomenon like an earthquake tremor
   • Correct answer: The influence of the Evil One in bodily form

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8. 8

   Question 8. What does Eustace's handmade whistle most likely symbolize in the story?

   • Correct answer: A Pan-pipe that summons the ancient god of nature
   • His desire to communicate with the Italian villagers
   • The artistic talent that Leyland refuses to acknowledge
   • His rebellion against the adults' authority over him

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9. 9

   Question 9. What does the contrast between English and Italian characters represent thematically?

   • The superiority of Northern European education over Southern customs
   • Correct answer: The clash between civilized repression and natural understanding
   • A realistic portrayal of early twentieth-century tourism conflicts
   • The difference between Protestant and Catholic religious practices

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10. 10

    Question 10. How does the story treat the legend that 'the great god Pan is dead'?

    • Correct answer: It reverses the legend by showing Pan is very much alive
    • It ignores the legend as irrelevant to the modern setting
    • It uses the legend to explain why the tourists feel safe
    • It confirms the legend by showing Pan has no real power

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11. 11

    Question 11. What narrative technique creates dramatic irony throughout the story?

    • Alternating between multiple narrators with different viewpoints
    • Using flashbacks to reveal information the characters already know
    • Correct answer: An unreliable narrator who misunderstands the events he describes
    • Breaking the fourth wall to address the reader with hidden truths

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12. 12

    Question 12. What biblical parallel does Forster draw with the ten-lire payment to Gennaro?

    • The widow's mite and the value of small offerings
    • Jacob working for Laban to earn Rachel's hand in marriage
    • The parable of the talents and wise investment
    • Correct answer: Judas receiving thirty pieces of silver to betray Jesus

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13. 13

    Question 13. In the story, the narrator describes a 'catspaw of wind' moving across the ridge. What is a catspaw?

    • Correct answer: A light breeze that ruffles a small area of still water or foliage
    • A sudden gust of wind that knocks objects from high places
    • A circular wind pattern caused by warm air rising from a valley
    • A warm southern breeze typical of Mediterranean coastal regions

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14. 14

    Question 14. What is the effect of Forster setting the story eight years in the past?

    • It allows the narrator to reflect on how he has changed since the events
    • Correct answer: It creates distance that highlights the narrator's continued incomprehension
    • It establishes that the story is fictional rather than autobiographical
    • It explains why the narrator's memory of specific details is unreliable

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15. 15

    Question 15. What does the final image of rose petals falling on the dead Gennaro while Eustace's laughter echoes in the valley suggest?

    • That Eustace has gone mad and does not realize that Gennaro has been killed helping him
    • That morning is approaching and the natural world is continuing its cycle despite tragedy
    • Correct answer: That nature mourns Gennaro's sacrifice while celebrating Eustace's freedom and escape
    • That the beauty of Italy is indifferent to both the living and the dead among the visitors

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