Rainsford held his breath. The general's eyes had left the ground and were traveling inch by inch up the tree. Rainsford froze there, every muscle tensed for a spring. But the sharp eyes of the hunter stopped before they reached the limb where Rainsford lay; a smile spread over his brown face. Very deliberately he blew a smoke ring into the air; then he turned his back on the tree and walked carelessly away, back along the trail he had come. The swish of the underbrush against his hunting boots grew fainter and fainter. - "The Most Dangerous Game," Richard Connell What logical prediction can be made from this passage?

Question

Giuliana Moody

English

27 February, 18:52

Rainsford held his breath. The general's eyes had left the ground and were traveling inch by inch up the tree. Rainsford froze there, every muscle tensed for a spring. But the sharp eyes of the hunter stopped before they reached the limb where Rainsford lay; a smile spread over his brown face. Very deliberately he blew a smoke ring into the air; then he turned his back on the tree and walked carelessly away, back along the trail he had come. The swish of the underbrush against his hunting boots grew fainter and fainter. - "The Most Dangerous Game," Richard Connell What logical prediction can be made from this passage?

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Answers (2)

Know the Answer?

Yair Liu · Answer 1

Answer: The general knew very well where Rainsford was hiding but didn't want to end the game so soon yet.

Explanation: The general made his knowledge of Rainsford's whereabouts quite obvious with the following quotes:

"The general's eyes had left the ground and were traveling inch by inch up the tree."

"the sharp eyes of the hunter stopped before they reached the limb where Rainsford lay; a smile spread over his brown face."

"Very deliberately he blew a smoke ring into the air; then he turned his back on the tree and walked carelessly away"

I think this was General Zaroff's way of signaling to Rainsford that he would have to try a lot harder if he wanted to survive this game with a man as experienced at hunting as him.

Sariah · Answer 2

Answer: I read this story when I was in 9th grade! The logical prediction that can be made is: the general knew exactly where Rainsford was.

Explanation: General Zaroff had played this "game" with other victims many times before Rainsford washed upon the island--so he knew just about all the hiding spots Rainsford could have possibly used. Also since he had been on that island for so long, Zaroff could basically predict wherever Rainsford will hide next, which made the chances of him surviving even slimmer. The reader can also infer that general Zaroff wished to prolong the "game" and did not want to kill Rainsford so quickly. Zarooff's past victims had poor survival skills and were easy targets--he wanted a challenge from Rainsford. He knew that, even though he knew the island like the back of his hand, Rainsford still had a fighting chance at living and therefore "winning" the most dangerous game.