My Antonia Study Guide

1. What state do Jim's grandparents live in?

• Ohio, on the frontier
• Nebraska, on the frontier
• Oklahoma, on the frontier
• Missouri, on the frontier

2. What are Jim's reasons for narrating and recording this tale?

• He wants to write the story before he dies of cancer.
• He is writing his memoirs after meeting a friend who also knew Ántonia.
• He intends the book to be an anniversary present to Ántonia, who is his wife.
• He is dedicating the book to Ántonia after her recent death.

3. How does Jim feel about Otto Fuchs?

• Jim is afraid of Otto, who is violent and surly.
• He doesn't see Otto enough to form any real opinion of him.
• He is impressed by him, and the two instantly become friends.
• He is fascinated by Otto and spends a lot of time spying on him.

4. Although Jim and Ántonia instantly get along when they first meet, she does something that he disapproves of. What does she do?

• She asks him for money to buy candy.
• She tries to kiss him
• She tries to give him her ring.
• She criticizes his grandmother.

5. Who is Marek?

• a Bohemian money-lender
• Mr. Shimerda's fellow musician from the old country
• the Shimerdas' Russian neighbor
• Ántonia's mentally challenged younger brother

6. Why do the Shimerdas hate Krajiek?

• He is Austrian, and they are Bohemian (Czech).
• He tries to seduce Mrs. Shimerda when her husband is out working in the fields.
• He owes them money and refuses to pay.
• He is the only Bohemian nearby, but he is dishonest and gives them bad advice.

7. Why does Mr. Shimerda promise to give Jim his gun one day?

• He is following the customs of his homeland and being generous and friendly.
• Grandfather has given Mr. Shimerda a new gun, and Mr. Shimerda wants to return the favor.
• He wants Jim to teach his sons how to hunt.
• He does not believe in private ownership of property.

8. What does the huge snake that Jim kills symbolize?

• The dangers of nature.
• The death of Christianity.
• The evils of knowledge.
• The treachery of women.

9. What is the secret that Pavel tells on his deathbed?

• That he is an escaped convict from Russia.
• That he and Peter are lovers.
• That he abandoned his wife and children in Russia.
• That he let his friends be eaten by wolves after a winter wedding in Russia.

10. What happens when Jim and his grandmother go to visit the Shimerdas during the winter?

• Grandmother is appalled because Ántonia and her sister are sleeping in a cave, and she gives the family some food.
• They are impressed by how well the Shimerdas are adapting to their new home, and they trade some vegetables.
• Mrs. Shimerda offends Grandmother by calling her stingy, and Grandmother vows never to return again.
• Ántonia and Jim run behind the barn and kiss until Mr. Shimerda calls them back.