Kingdom Schools
English Department
Name: …………………………………………………..
Class: …………………..
1. Summary
A- A man is about to be hanged by Union soldiers. He stands on a railroad bridge. He has a rope
around his neck.
B- The man is Peyton Farquhar. He is a rich Southern farmer. Earlier, he helped Southern
soldiers by trying to destroy the railroad bridge.
C- Farquhar is dropped through the bridge. He falls toward the water. He feels the rope break.
He falls into the river. Then he unties his hands. The soldiers on the bridge shoot at him. He
escapes into the woods. Farquhar makes his way through a strange forest and arrives at his
home. His wife runs to greet him. Then Farquhar feels a pain in his neck. Everything becomes
dark. Farquhar is dead, hanged from the Owl Creek Bridge. His heroic escape was only a
dream. It was the final fantasy of a dying man.
2. Setting -The entire story takes place at Owl Creek Bridge in northern Alabama during the
Civil War. The story's protagonist believes the story takes place at Owl Creek Bridge in
northern Alabama, downstream from Owl Creek Bridge in northern Alabama, and at his home.
3. Conflict -The obvious conflict is Peyton Farquhar vs. the Federal army (not really a fair fight,
if you ask me). There is also an internal conflict as Farquhar battles the fear of dying by
remembering what is most precious to him.
4. Major Story Events - Farquhar is hanged. During the short interval between his dropping
and dying, he hallucinates plunging into the water, freeing his hands and neck, swimming
to safety, and running into his wife.
5. Plot Structure - The story is broken into three parts:
a. Part 1 is the exposition.
b. Part 2 gives background information on the story's protagonist.
c. Part 3 contains all the action.
6. Themes - "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" themes include the realities of war, the
suddenness of death, the fluidity of time, and the distortion of reality and illusion.
Choose the best answer:
1. At the gate of his home, Farquar is greeted by the sight of
•
•
•
•
Yankee soldiers
his smiling wife (correct answer)
a blinding white light
a battery of cannons
2. When Farquhar hears his watch ticking with an exaggerated intensity, Bierce is using the point
of view known as
•
•
•
•
second-person limited
third-person limited (correct answer)
objective
subjective
3. Which of the following best reflects the use of the omniscient point of view?
•
•
•
•
The writer objectively describes the scene at the plantation.
The writer focuses only on Farquhar and his thoughts and feelings.
The narrator reports that the gray-clad horseman was a Federal scout.
The narrator gives a first-person account of the events.
4. Which one of the following statements about Peyton Farquhar is true?
•
•
•
•
He betrayed the Confederate forces.
Federal troops shot at him repeatedly.
He was tricked by a Federal spy. (correct answer)
He was a loner who had no family.
5. The last thoughts to pass through Farquhar’s mind when he is on the bridge are about
•
•
•
•
religion
his family (correct answer)
deputy sheriff
professional spy
6. While Farquhar is under water, he thinks he’s going to die but
•
•
•
•
the current is so strong the ropes break
the soldiers rescue him
the river carries him to safety
his hands seem to work independently of his will and free him (correct answer)
7. The ending reveals that Farquhar’s flight through the woods was
•
•
•
•
an illusion (correct answer)
a ruse
a memory
a flashback
8. On his homeward journey through the forest, Farquhar notices that the landscape is
•
•
•
•
beautiful
devastated
barren
deserted (correct answer)
9. Before the war, Peyton Farquhar was a
•
•
•
•
gentleman planter (correct answer)
cavalry soldier
deputy sheriff
professional spy
10. Farquar learns about the recent repairs at Owl Creek bridge from a
• Yankee spy
• Federal scout (correct answer)
• neighbor
• Southern soldier
11. Which one of the following statements about Payton Farquhar is true?
a. He betrayed the Confederate forces.
b. Federal troops shot at him repeatedly.
c. He was tricked by a Federal spy.
d. He was a loner who had no family.
12. What interrupts Farquhar’s thoughts about his wife and children?
a. the ticking of his watch
b. a train barreling toward the bridge
c. a hail of bullets
d. the arrival of Confederate troops
13. The Union soldiers are generally portrayed as
a. merciless and deceptive
b. benevolent and forgiving
c. honorable and friendly
d. selfish and distracted
14. After the board is kicked out from under him, Farquhar experiences
a. an intense sharpening of his senses
b. despair and grief
c. a surprising joy and relief
d. nothing
15. After Farquhar appears to have escaped from the gunfire while in the river, he
a. is too exhausted to swim
b. lands on a bank and runs through the woods
c. is picked up by a passing riverboat
d. is recaptured
16. The surprise ending of the story reveals that Farquhar’s actual fate was
a. a last-minute reprieve
b. a successful escape
c. death by drowning
d. death by hanging
17. Which of the following best reflects the use of the omniscient point of view?
a. The writer objectively describes the scene at the plantation.
b. The writer focuses only on Farquhar and his thoughts and feelings.
c. The narrator reports that the gray-clad horseman was a Federal scout.
d. The narrator gives a first-person account of the events.
18. As they prepare to execute the prisoner, the soldiers exhibit an attitude of
a. regret.
c. formality.
b. bitterness.
d. sympathy.
19. The tone of the scene that begins the story could best be described as
a. bitter.
c. informal.
b. sorrowful.
d. objective.
20. What motivated Peyton Farquhar to go to Owl Creek Bridge?
a. a desire for glory
b. devotion to the Southern cause
c. an immediate need to protect his plantation
d. curiosity about the accuracy of the scout’s report
Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
1. In Section I, Bierce includes few details about the condemned man and does not reveal the
reason why he is being hanged. How does this help create suspense?
This creates suspense because we want to find out what happened to him and keep reading.
2. In what ways are the condemned man's perceptions of time and motion distorted as he is
waiting to be hanged? Why are his distorted perceptions important?
His senses grew in power and he noticed small details. He foreshadows that he has gone through a
major change and he is dead.
3. Why was Farquhar captured? Why did the Federal scout lie?
He was a confederate spy. The Federal lied to try to trap Farquhar.
4. What is the significance of the man’s perception of his ticking watch?
The ticking watch was the end of the man's life ticking to an end.
5. In Section II, Bierce finally introduces Peyton Farquhar. Why place this information in the
middle of the story, and in a flashback?
The flashback is in the center to speed up the pacing and to make the story more interesting.
6. What is the ultimate fate of Peyton Farquhar? About how long did it truly take for the events
of the story to unfold?
Peyton Farquhar dies, and it truly took seconds for the story to unfold.
7. Were you surprised by the ending? Why or why not?
Partially, yes. I thought the escape was to good to be true, but the story spelled out that he was
hanging from the bridge.
Vocabulary
____ 1. People who feel ardently about an issue have
a. some stake in it.
c. little to do with it.
b. strong feelings about it.
____ 2. One way to adorn yourself is by
a. bragging.
c. washing your face.
b. wearing jewelry.
____ 3. A poignant scene may provoke
a. tears.
c. screams.
b. folly.
____ 4. When you give your assent to a plan, it means you
a. agree with it.
c. oppose it.
b. will change it.
____ 5. If a rock protrudes from its surroundings it is
a. lower than the rocks around
b. sticking out from the rocks around it.
B – Match the definition on the left with the Word to
Own on the right.
f
_______ 1. central
a. sentinel
j
_______ 2. harmful; evil
b. deference
a
_______ 3. guard; sentry
c. chafed
c
_______ 4. became impatient
d. perilous
g
_______ 5. dismaying
e. oscillation
b
______ 6. respect
i
_______ 7. scrape
f. pivotal
g. appalling
e
_______ 8. regular back-and-forth movement
h. gyration
d
_______ 9. dangerous
i. abrasion
h
_______10. circular movement
j. malign
c. eroding slower than the rocks
around it.