The Bet Questions

Name: _____________________
THE BET
Date: ___________
By Anton Chekhov
Pre-reading Vocabulary: Choose 4 words from the story’s word bank listed below and
fully complete two “Vocabulary Worksheet”, located at the back of this assignment.
Word Bank:
Humane
Immoral
Capricious
Rapture
Erudite
Speculation
Haphazard
Posterity
Multiple Choice Questions: Circle, underline, or highlight the correct answer.
1. The two million rubles has what value in the short story?
a. the difference between success and bankruptcy
b. worth way more than five years of life
c. worth dying over
d. the amount the banker loses in fifteen years
2. In his letter, the lawyer claims to have done what in his prison?
a. had many parties
b. raised mountains
c. composed awesome music
d. flew around like an eagle
3. The lawyer promises to do what when his prison term is over?
a. win the bet and get the moolah, duh
b. leave early to lose by default
c. tell the whole world about his ordeal
d. haunt the banker in his dreams
4. A gunshot is fired outside the prison cell because…
a. the banker was trying to kill the prisoner
b. it was hunting season, and those ducks won't kill themselves, now will they
c. the lawyer asked for confirmation that his multilingual note was correct
d. the guards were trying to keep the prisoner from escaping
5. After 15 years, the banker reacts to the prisoner's final letter by doing what?
a. hugging the prisoner
b. crying himself to sleep
c. feeling great about himself
d. tearing it up in anger
6. What's the banker's reason for thinking the death penalty is better than life
imprisonment?
a. his earlier long stay in prison showed him that prison life sucks
b. he just assumes that spending life in prison means dying slowly
c. he asked a bunch of his friends and that seems to be the general opinion
d. his unhealthy obsession with death
7. What's the last thing the prisoner reads?
a. funny novels
b. long boring history books
c. a strange mix of poetry, science, and other random things
d. The Lord of the Rings, over and over again
8. How does the banker's life change over the fifteen years?
a. he goes from rich to poor
b. he goes from nervous to brash
c. he goes from angry to calm
d. he goes from single to married
9. When
a.
b.
c.
d.
the banker remembers the party fifteen years ago, he…
wishes he'd never made that stupid bet
wishes he'd talked to that one cute girl he saw there
wishes his guests weren't so obsessed with debating philosophy
wishes the lawyer hadn't shown up
10. How does the lawyer change over the fifteen years?
a.
b.
c.
d.
he now looks really muscular
he no longer believes in the material world
he now wants ten million rubles
he no longer knows how to speak
Short Answer Questions: Answer the following questions completely. Provide examples
and explanations whenever prompted.
1. What is the bet between the banker and the lawyer?
_____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 2. What are the rules of the lawyer’s imprisonment?
_____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 3. What does the banker privately think of the bet? Why do you think he does not
simply withdraw?
_____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Why is the banker afraid that he will be ruined forever when the 15 years is
complete? What happened to his wealth? What can we tell about the banker’s
lifestyle?
_____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 5. What does the banker intend to do to the lawyer? What does this reveal about his
character?
_____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ Critical Thinking:
Directions:
In Anton Checkov’s, “The Bet,” a lawyer and a banker argue over whether or not capital
punishment (The Death Penalty) is better or worse than life imprisonment. What is your
opinion? In one paragraph (6-8 sentences), explain your answer using concrete reasons or
examples.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Compare the 2 main characters from the story: The Lawyer & the Banker.
Timelines allow students to create an illustration of an event by displaying items
chronologically along a line. Plot 6 items in chronological order from the story. It can be a
timeline of the entire story or of one character’s experience (Don’t forget the dates!!).
Title:
EXAMPLE: Vocabulary Worksheet WORD: Draw a Picture: # of Syllables: _____________ # of Vowels: ______________ Synonym (Same): _____________________________________ Antonym (Opposite): __________________________________ Definition: _________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ Use in a Sentence: __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ Vocabulary Worksheet WORD: Draw a Picture: # of Syllables: _____________ # of Vowels: ______________ Synonym (Same): _____________________________________ Antonym (Opposite): __________________________________ Definition: _________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ Use in a Sentence: __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ Vocabulary Worksheet WORD: Draw a Picture: # of Syllables: _____________ # of Vowels: ______________ Synonym (Same): _____________________________________ Antonym (Opposite): __________________________________ Definition: _________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ Use in a Sentence: __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ Vocabulary Worksheet WORD: Draw a Picture: # of Syllables: _____________ # of Vowels: ______________ Synonym (Same): _____________________________________ Antonym (Opposite): __________________________________ Definition: _________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ Use in a Sentence: __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________

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