Elephant Run

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-book review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Why is Nick concerned about the nonchalant attitude toward bombings in London?

A) The normalizing of violence creates violence in Britain.

B) People are complacent, possibly indicating the war will never end.

C) The people have embraced violence as a necessity.

D) It represents the decline of society.

2. How does Nick’s arrival in Burma change his perspective on the war?

A) He realizes it is not widespread.

B) He understands that the war is worldwide.

C) He is relieved he can finally be at peace.

D) He is saddened for the people who are left in London.

3. What does the knife Nick receives from his father symbolize to him?

A) A memorial to his grandfather

B) Perseverance in the face of conflict

C) A remembrance of his heritage

D) The elephants of Burma

4. What is the significance of the iron bell Jackson gives Nick in Burma?

A) It represents the family’s power to help in difficult times.

B) It helps Nick remember Hannibal when he is in Australia.

C) It reminds Nick of the mahout people and their sacrifices.

D) It signifies the hope of returning to the plantation.

5. What can the reader infer about Nick’s relationship with his father?

A) Nick feels close to him and the plantation.

B) They do not have a relationship.

C) They spend a lot of time together.

D) Their relationship is based on the elephants.

6. How does Nick’s perspective on Hannibal change over the course of the novel?

A) From hatred to respect

B) From liking to loathing

C) From fear to respect

D) From appreciation to fear

7. What political conflict is not mentioned in the novel?

A) Britain and Germany

B) The US and Japan

C) Burma and Japan

D) Germany and Japan

8. What does the killing of the monkeys to starve the tribes foreshadow?

A) The hatred of the Japanese

B) The needless killing of the tribes

C) The death of the elephants

D) The brutality committed in Burma

9. What does Jackson mean when he refers to the island as the Sergeant Major’s heart?

A) t is the relationship Jackson’s family built with the Burmese.

B) It describes the connection between the island and Jackson’s family.

C) It indicates the connection between colonialism and Burma.

D) It illustrates the Sergeant Major’s hope for the teak plantation.

10. What can the reader infer about Mya’s perspective on violence?

A) She believes it will allow her to have vengeance.

B) She thinks it is the inevitable result of gaining independence.

C) She sees it as something that results in more trauma.

D) She admits it is a necessary evil of war.

11. Which of the following best describes the effect Sonji’s haiku have on Nick?

A) They teach him about nature.

B) They humanize Sonji to Nick.

C)They represent the difficulty Nick experiences.

D) They serve as a metaphor for Nick’s survival.

12. How are Colonel Nagayoshi and Jackson connected in the novel?

A) They have a shared hatred of war.

B) They both love their country.

C) Their experiences as leaders are similar.

D) Their sons are victims of war.

13. Which of the following best describes the role that the colonization of Burma plays in the novel’s plot?

A) It causes the Burmese to resent people like Jackson.

B) It creates tension between the Burmese and Britain.

C) It serves as a motivating factor for the Burmese to join Japan.

D) It causes the Burmese to fight against the Japanese.

14. Why does Mya consider the rise to “queen” in Bukong’s imagined life with her to be an illusion of power?

A) She would still be under Bukong’s authority.

B) She would not have the provisions she needs to survive.

C) She would still be under Japanese rule.

D) She would not thrive under Burmese rule.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. What is the importance of Nick’s family in the novel?

2. What does Nick’s father ultimately decide to do with Hawk’s Nest? How does it illustrate the growth of the characters in the novel?