"The Bet" by Anton Chekhov (p286) -- Here is a link to the story itself.
Vocabulary
capricious, haphazard, humane, obsolete, posterity, stipulated, a priori, zealous, erudite, emaciated
  1. The girl was very ____________, you never knew whether she would be sweet or mean from one day to the next.
  2. He had studied many scholarly books, and was considered very ____________.
  3. He emerged from his captivity as a POW severely _____________.
  4. Wood's is a __________ society, showing kindness and mercy on abandoned animals.
  5. My computer is _________; it's almost worthless for modern computing needs.
  6. The cones were strewn ___________(ly) across the field instead of in nice, straight lines.
  7. The contract for Van Halen always ____________ that there be a bowl of M&Ms backstage, with all the brown ones removed.
  8. The time capsule was buried with a message for _____________.
  9. My boy already decided, ____________, that he didn't like hot dogs.
  10. He ___________(ly) practiced his skateboard until he had mastered the trick.
Arguments for and against the death penalty.
Don't just guess...find out!
Research on the net or in the library.
Find at least 4 or 5 arguments/sources that back up you view.
Separate sheet. This is research for the essay you will write. Due Tuesday, 9/23. Questions.
  1. (Quote)When can we tell that the story almost immediately goes into a flashback?
  2. What are the two men's motivations for accepting the bet? How does money affect their decision?
  3. (Quote) How can we tell the flashback is over?
  4. What has happened to all the banker's money?
  5. In the beginning of the story, what are the two men most concerned about?
  6. How do their concerns change as the story progresses?
  7. Why does the lawyer write that he will give up the money?
  8. What is ironic about the lawyer's claims that the banker and the world he represents are mad?
  9. Do you agree or disagree with his decision to give up the money? Why?
  10. What is the theme?
Quiz
  1. True or False? The story begins with the party at which the bet is made.
  2. True or False? The lawyer is allowed to go into the garden as long as there aren't any people there.
  3. The lawyer's motivation for taking the bet was...a) to prove that life imprisonment is better than capital punishment.  b) greed.  c) he just wanted to prove the banker wrong. d) he wanted a chance to study all those books.
  4. By year 10, the lawyer... a) feels happy that he can understand the world's best thinkers.  b) feels depressed about having 5 years left. c) rarely leaves his chair. d) reads the Bible continually.
  5. What does the banker find strange about the fact that the lawyer took so long to read the second half of the Bible?
  6. Which vocabulary word describes the banker's decision to take the bet?
  7. Which vocabulary word describes the lawyer's reading during his last two years?
  8. What does the banker decide to do to avoid paying the bet?
  9. The point in the story where we find out that the banker can't afford to pay is called the... a) exposition.  b) rising action.  c) conflict.  d) climax.  e) resolution.
  10. The point in the story where the party and the bet are described is called the... a) exposition.  b) rising action.  c) conflict.  d) climax.  e) resolution.
  11. (Quote.) Why does the lawyer decide to give up the money?
  12. The point in the story where the banker reads the lawyer's note about forfeiting the money is called the... a) exposition.  b) rising action.  c) conflict.  d) climax.  e) resolution.
  13. The word that best describes how the banker feels after he reads the note is...  a) self-hatred.  b) relief. c) satisfaction.  d) triumph.
  14. Who wins the bet?
  15. The point in the story where the lawyer leaves and the banker hides the note for safekeeping is called the... a) exposition.  b) rising action.  c) conflict.  d) climax.  e) resolution.
More Vocabulary Practice.
capricious, haphazard, humane, obsolete, posterity, stipulated, a priori, zealous, erudite, emaciated
  1. Many people say that capital punishment is (in)____________.
  2. I think the police officer was a little (over)___________ in the pursuit of his duties: writing a ticket for 1 mph over the speed limit is a bit too strict.
  3. Cassette tapes are almost ___________, replaced by cds.
  4. The legend of his great deed would be passed down through _____________.
  5. Sometimes even the most _________ people don't have any common sense.
  6. Luck is sometimes compared to a very ___________ woman.
  7. The desks were "arranged" very ______________(ly) about the room.
  8. The bet ___________ that he couldn't leave the room for 15 years.
  9. Sometimes an anorexic person could look in the mirror and see a fat person, when in reality, the image in the mirror is terribly ___________.
  10. "I myself have experienced neither capital punishment nor life imprisonment, but if one may judge ___________, then...capital punishment is more moral..."