Across the River and into the Trees MCQs

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Author: Nasir Iqbal | Assistant Professor of English Literature

Across the River and into the Trees MCQs
Updated on: October 28, 2025
Estimated Reading Time: 21 min

Across The River And Into The Trees MCQs

1. The opening scene describes men preparing for what early morning activity?

A. Setting lobster traps
B. Hunting ducks in a shallow lagoon
C. Sailing a barge toward Venice
D. Repairing a blown bridge

B. Hunting ducks in a shallow lagoon.
The shooter and the poler start two hours before daylight, navigating ice in a shallow lagoon for ducks.

2. What major obstacle severely hinders the progress of the shooter’s boat early in the novel?

A. Dense fog covering the marsh
B. A low tide requires them to push the boat
C. Thick, newly frozen ice covers the lagoon
D. High winds make steering impossible

C. Thick, newly frozen ice covers the lagoon.
The lagoon is covered in new, rubbery ice that must be sharply broken with an oar or pole to move the boat forward.
3. What does the shooter, later identified as the Colonel, internally call the boatman early in their journey due to his perceived stubbornness?

A. A surly jerk
B. An incompetent guide
C. A big brute
D. Both A and C

D. Both A and C.
The shooter angrily thinks of the boatman as a “surly jerk” and later observes that he is also a “big brute.”

4. What specific action does the Colonel take to help propel the boat through the ice?

A. He chops at the ice with the flat side of an oar
B. He gets out and breaks the ice ahead of the boat
C. He uses the handle of a reversed oar to punch through the ice
D. He starts the motor boat engine

C. He uses the handle of a reversed oar to punch through the ice.
The Colonel takes the long oar, reverses it, and uses the handle end to drive the boat ahead by punching through the ice.
5. What protective gear does the shooter wear when he climbs into the sunken barrel?

A. A thick wool coat and scarf
B. Hip boots and an old combat jacket
C. A life vest and a camouflage suit
D. A leather jacket and sunglasses

B. Hip boots and an old combat jacket.
Upon climbing into the barrel, the shooter is described as wearing his hip boots and an old combat jacket for protection.

6. Why does the boatman angrily call out to the shooter after the Colonel makes a “lovely double” shot?

A. The Colonel missed both ducks entirely
B. The shot accidentally killed a live decoy
C. The Colonel shot too close to the boat
D. The sound of the gunfire disturbed nearby birds

C. The Colonel shot too close to the boat.
After his careful double shot, the boatman yells, “Don’t shoot toward the boat,” despite the Colonel’s safe intention.
7. What does the shooter conclude the boatman is intentionally attempting to do during the preparation for the hunt?

A. Steal the shooter’s ammunition
B. Ruin the potential shooting experience
C. Leave the shooter without decoys
D. Demand higher wages immediately

B. Ruin the potential shooting experience.
The shooter believes the boatman is spoiling the hunt and must “keep it entire and not let him do it.”

8. The Colonel holds what military rank and is in what branch of the US Army?

A. Lieutenant, Artillery
B. Major, Cavalry
C. Colonel, Infantry
D. General, Air Force

C. Colonel, Infantry.
Chapter II identifies the shooter as a fifty-year-old “Colonel of Infantry in the Army of the United States.”

9. What type of medication did the Colonel take to pass his required physical examination prior to the shoot?

A. Seconal
B. Mannitol hexanitrate
C. Penicillin
D. Morphine

B. Mannitol hexanitrate.
The Colonel took enough mannitol hexanitrate to manipulate his readings and successfully pass the physical examination artificially.
10. What does the surgeon compare the Colonel’s cardiograph readings to?

A. That of a man of twenty-five or a boy of nineteen
B. That of an athlete in perfect health
C. That of a man suffering from high blood pressure
D. That of a professional soldier

A. That of a man of twenty-five or a boy of nineteen.
The surgeon tells the Colonel that his cardiograph was “wonderful” and compares it favorably to that of a much younger man.

11. Including polo accidents, how many real concussions did the Colonel estimate he had suffered?

A. Three or four
B. Maybe ten
C. Over twenty
D. He said he could not remember

B. Maybe ten.
The Colonel tells his physician, Wes, that he has suffered “Maybe ten” concussions, counting the ones from polo and combat.

12. The Colonel mentions that he was reduced from what general officer position?

A. Brigadier General
B. Major General
C. Lieutenant General
D. General of the Army

A. Brigadier General.
He is identified as a Colonel of Infantry, “reduced from being a general officer,” later revealed to be a B.G.

13. The Colonel notes that since 1918, he has always been able to spit, which enables him to take his medicine how?

A. Hidden in a piece of food
B. Directly into the Grand Canal
C. Dry, without water
D. While standing on his head

C. Dry, without water.
He notes this ability after spitting across the riverbank at Fossalta, and uses it to take his mannitol hexanitrate tablets dry.

14. Who is the Colonel’s driver during the journey from Trieste to Venice?

A. Burnham
B. Wes
C. Jackson
D. Arnaldo

C. Jackson.
The driver introduces himself as Jackson, noting that Burnham is up at the rest center in Cortina. He drives the Buick.
15. What was Jackson’s job in civilian life before joining the military?

A. A ranch hand in Nebraska
B. A partner in a garage in Rawlins, Wyoming
C. A banker in Kansas City
D. A long-haul truck driver

B. A partner in a garage in Rawlins, Wyoming.
Jackson explains that he was partners with his brother in a garage, which they lost after his brother’s death.

16. What does the Colonel say they must use to pull the car out if they get stuck on the low side roads?

A. A jeep with a tow rope
B. Oxen
C. A tractor from a nearby farm
D. The great engine power of the Buick

B. Oxen.
When Jackson worries about the low clearance of the Buick, the Colonel jokes that he will haul him out with “oxen.”
17. What type of vessel does the Colonel point out on the Sile canal, stating that seeing it always “moves your heart”?

A. A diesel-powered fishing boat
B. A swift-moving vaporetto
C. A big red sailing barge
D. A black gondola

C. A big red sailing barge.
The Colonel is moved by the sight of the big red sail of the sailing barge traveling to Venice through the country.

18. What structure does the Colonel point out to Jackson as the place where the original builders of Venice lived?

A. The Cathedral of St. Mark’s
B. The campanile of Murano
C. The square tower of the church at Torcello
D. The Dogana

C. The square tower of the church at Torcello.
He explains that the people driven from the mainland by Visigoths built the church at Torcello before founding Venice.

19. Where does the Colonel tell Jackson to leave the car upon arriving in Venice?

A. The Gritti Palace valet lot
B. The Fiat garage
C. The main train station lot
D. The Piazzale Roma parking structure

B. The Fiat garage.
The Colonel instructs Jackson to leave the car at the Fiat garage, assuring him that they don’t steal there.
20. What is the name of the establishment where the Colonel and Renata meet Count Andrea and later dine?

A. The Gritti Palace Hotel
B. The Florian
C. Harry’s Bar
D. The Accademia

C. Harry’s Bar.
The Colonel first encounters Andrea at Harry’s Bar, and he uses it as a regular rendezvous spot with Renata.

21. The fictitious organization founded by the Colonel and the Gran Maestro is named after whom?

A. A famous Italian general
B. A notorious multi-millionaire profiteer of Milan
C. The patron saint of Venice
D. A fallen comrade from the Piave campaign

B. A notorious multi-millionaire profiteer of Milan.
The Order is named after Brusadelli, a notorious non-taxpaying profiteer, whom they despise for profiting from the war.

22. The Gran Maestro tells the Colonel he must comply with the rules of the hotel, as a matter of what?

A. Financial responsibility
B. Personal discipline
C. Precept and example in command
D. Respect for the guests

C. Precept and example in command.
Violating the rules would defy the principle of “precept and example in command” for the Maitre d’Hotel, the Gran Maestro.
23. The waiter Arnaldo has a physical feature that the Colonel is drawn to, as he only feels “true tenderness and love” for those who have been what?

A. Wealthy or powerful
B. Intelligent or cunning
C. Highly decorated or celebrated
D. Fought or been mutilated

D. Fought or been mutilated.
Seeing Arnaldo’s glass eye reminds the Colonel that he loves those who have received the “castigation” of war.

24. What is the “Supreme Secret” of the Order of Brusadelli, revealed to Renata?

A. The war will never truly end.
B. We must mechanize the Honorable Pacciardi.
C. It is always so quiet when the gold fish die.
D. We are all industry, in different ways.

C. It is always so quiet when the gold fish die.
The Colonel reveals this cryptic phrase as the major secret of El Ordine Militar, Nobile y Espirituoso de los Caballeros de Brusadelli.
25. When the Colonel is alone in his room, what household item does he use to watch the portrait of Renata from his bed?

A. A small hand mirror
B. The glass of the window
C. The strategically opened, mirrored armoire doors
D. A pair of binoculars

C. The strategically opened, mirrored armoire doors.
Arnaldo opens the inner doors of the armoire, which are mirrored, so the Colonel can view the portrait from his bed.

26. How old is Renata when she and the Colonel are having their conversations in Venice?

A. Almost seventeen
B. Almost nineteen
C. Almost twenty-five
D. Almost thirty

B. Almost nineteen.
When the Colonel asks her age, Renata confirms that she is “Nearly nineteen” years old, showing their significant age gap.
27. What valuable item does Renata give the Colonel as a gift, which he carries in his pocket?

A. A family heirloom necklace
B. Her square emeralds
C. A gold medallion
D. A picture of her mother

B. Her square emeralds.
Renata gives him the square emeralds she inherited, which he later puts in the hotel safe in her name.

28. The Colonel orders his Martinis in the “Montgomery” style, which means what ratio of gin to vermouth?

A. Five to one
B. Twelve to one
C. Fifteen to one
D. Twenty to one

C. Fifteen to one.
He instructs the waiter to make them as “Montgomerys. Fifteen to one,” based on the General’s reputation for needing massive superiority.

29. Renata tells the Colonel she dreamed about his hand, believing it was whose hand?

A. Her father’s hand
B. Our Lord’s hand
C. A ghost’s hand
D. A dead man’s hand

B. Our Lord’s hand.
She dreamed that his scarred and misshapen hand was the hand of Our Lord, feeling sensation when she touched it.
30. Renata believes that she cannot marry the Colonel for what primary reason?

A. Her mother would disapprove
B. He is already married to his work
C. She is too young for him
D. He is going to die

D. He is going to die.
She speaks bluntly, asking how she can be in love with a man over fifty who she knows “was going to die.”

31. When the Colonel asks Renata what her “great sorrow” is, she replies with what one word?

A. War
B. Loneliness
C. You
D. Poverty

C. You.
When he asks for her greatest sorrow, she replies, “You,” signifying his impending death and their inevitable separation.

32. The Colonel compares his ex-wife, a journalist, unfavorably to what historical figure due to her ambition?

A. Marie Antoinette
B. Napoleon
C. Lady Diana Manners
D. Queen Victoria

B. Napoleon.
He states she had “more ambition than Napoleon” but only the talent of a high school student. This was a bitter, unfavorable comparison.
33. What American activity does Renata want to try on their imaginary trip across the country?

A. Hunting wolves
B. Flying an airplane
C. Stopping at a “comfort station” and asking to “fill her up”
D. Working in a garage

C. Stopping at a “comfort station” and asking to “fill her up.”
She wants to stop at a filling station (misidentifying it as a comfort station) and use American slang for gas and oil.

34. After Jackson asks if he may return the emeralds, where does the Colonel eventually place them?

A. In a safety deposit box at the Fiat garage
B. In the hotel safe, addressed to Renata
C. He keeps them in his pajama pocket
D. He gives them to the Gran Maestro for safekeeping

B. In the hotel safe, addressed to Renata.
He puts the emeralds in an envelope in the hotel safe, ensuring they will be returned to their “rightful owner.”
35. The Colonel, reflecting on his youthful defense of Venice, reveals that he once made a monument at the site of his wounding, burying what items?

A. A piece of trench uniform and a ring
B. A 10,000 lira note and turf
C. Spent shell casings and a medal
D. An antique clasp knife and a bootlace

B. A 10,000 lira note and turf.
He digs a hole with his knife, inserts the money, and tamped it down, calling it a “wonderful monument.”

36. According to the Colonel’s reflections, what is the core problem with high-ranking officers in the American army?

A. They are too young and inexperienced
B. They rarely listen or look, always seeking advancement
C. They are often lazy and unmotivated
D. They are easily distracted by women

B. They rarely listen or look, always seeking advancement.
He notes that above, officers are “always bucking for something so hard they never look or listen.”
37. The Colonel recalls that during the First World War, soldiers seeking to avoid combat would deliberately infect themselves with what ailment using a matchbox?

A. Trench foot
B. Gonorrheal pus
C. Malaria
D. Frostbite

B. Gonorrheal pus.
He and the Gran Maestro recall that boys would share a matchbox full of gonorrheal pus to gain an infection and avoid murderous frontal attacks.

38. Which French military leader’s death does the Colonel admit to celebrating with a magnum of Champagne?

A. Mangin
B. Foch
C. Leclerc
D. Gamelin

C. Leclerc.
He calls Leclerc a “jerk of the third or fourth water” and admits celebrating his death due to his incompetence.

39. In discussing World War II commanders, the Colonel asserts that General Montgomery was a character who needed what ratio of superiority to move?

A. Three to one
B. Seven to one
C. Fifteen to one
D. Equal odds

C. Fifteen to one.
He criticizes Montgomery as a character who needed “fifteen to one to move, and then moved tardily.”
40. How does the Colonel describe the true act of an Infantryman (Gabriele d’Annunzio’s trade)?

A. The noblest of all trades
B. The easiest and least complicated trade
C. Perhaps the strangest trade
D. A trade he wishes he had not joined

C. Perhaps the strangest trade.
He reflects on d’Annunzio’s lack of true commitment, noting that Infantryman knows a strange trade; “perhaps the strangest.”

41. What is the one thing the Colonel tells Renata she must do if she ever fights?

A. Fight honorably
B. Win it
C. Fight until you die
D. Retreat quickly and regroup

B. Win it.
He emphasizes that if you fight, “then you must win it. That’s all that counts,” quoting his friend Dr. Rommel.

42. In his silent reflection on the Hurtgen Forest battle, what does the Colonel say he lost in the first twenty minutes of the attack?

A. All his communication equipment
B. His personal immortality
C. The three battalion commanders
D. His best friend George

C. The three battalion commanders.
He notes that this loss of three battalion commanders was merely a statistic to a journalist but devastating to the regiment.
43. The Colonel suggests that a “mediocre writer” has what advantage over a professional soldier?

A. Better public support
B. A longer span of life
C. More money and acclaim
D. More happiness

B. A longer span of life.
He tells Renata that if the pitted man is a mediocre writer, he will “live forever,” having a longer span of life.

44. When comparing life to a card game, what does the Colonel conclude about the “cards we draw”?

A. You can always cheat if you are clever
B. The cards we draw are the ones we get
C. The deck is always stacked against you
D. You only get a fair hand if you pray for it

B. The cards we draw are the ones we get.
He philosophizes that they only deal to you once, and then you pick them up and play them. The cards are definitive.
45. While back at the duck blind, what prompts the Colonel’s return of anger and subsequent taking of pills and gin?

A. A sudden memory of combat
B. The sun melting the ice too quickly
C. The boatman deliberately shooting at ducks coming to his blind
D. He sees Alvarito take his limit early

C. The boatman deliberately shooting at ducks coming to his blind.
He sees the “sullen boatman shooting at the ducks that would have come to the Colonel.” This action spoils the final shoot.

46. What does the Colonel engrave on the flat silver flask he carries?

A. His rank and serial number
B. A motto of the Order of Brusadelli
C. From Renata With Love
D. Richard Cantwell, U.S.A.

C. From Renata With Love.
He reflects that the flask is engraved on one side with “Richard From Renata With Love,” an inscription known only to them and the engraver.
47. Why did the boatman harbor initial resentment toward the Colonel’s Allied uniform?

A. The Colonel had accused him of stealing
B. Moroccans in Allied uniforms had raped his wife and daughter
C. The uniform reminded him of his time in prison
D. The uniform was too ostentatious

B. Moroccans in Allied uniforms had raped his wife and daughter.
Alvarito explains that the boatman was “a bit over-liberated,” as Moroccans in Allied uniform had raped his family.

48. During his final drive, the Colonel quotes what famous general who said: “No, no, let us cross over the river and rest under the shade of the trees?”

A. General Grant
B. Stonewall Jackson
C. General Patton
D. General Eisenhower

B. Stonewall Jackson.
The Colonel, experiencing his heart attack, quotes General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson’s reported final words.

49. What action does the Colonel take right before he is overcome by his third heart attack?

A. He attempts to reload his gun
B. He asks Jackson to drive faster
C. He climbs into the large back seat of the car
D. He calls Renata one last time

C. He climbs into the large back seat of the car.
He informs Jackson that he is getting into the back seat, and that is the last thing he says before shutting the door carefully.
50. What final instruction does the Colonel leave Jackson in the event of his death?

A. To inform his commanding general immediately
B. To return the car to the Fiat garage
C. To deliver the wrapped painting and two shotguns to the Gritti Palace
D. To bury him on the high ground of Grappa

C. To deliver the wrapped painting and two shotguns to the Gritti Palace.
Jackson reads the Colonel’s printed note ordering the return of the specific items to the hotel for their rightful owner.

Brief Overview

The novel by Ernest Hemingway is about Colonel Richard Cantwell. He is an American Infantry Colonel. He is fifty years old and has been reduced in rank. The Colonel is very ill.

He visits Venice, Italy, for a final duck shoot. The Colonel often reflects on his long, difficult life as a soldier. He fought in Italy during World War I as a young man. He also served in World War II.

While in Venice, he stays at the Gritti Palace Hotel. He spends time with his girlfriend, Renata. She is a beautiful young Countess, nearly nineteen.

Cantwell knows she is his last, true, and only love. Their relationship is passionate but marked by his impending death. He tells Renata he will leave the army and live simply in Venice.

He then goes duck hunting in a frozen lagoon outside the city. The cold trip proves very difficult for his health. He shoots well but is soon ready to leave the marsh.

After the shoot, he starts his drive back with his driver, Jackson. On the road, his heart condition hits him severely. He moves to the back seat of his car. This is the last thing he does.

The Colonel dies in the car. He leaves a final note to Jackson. The note orders his painting and shotguns returned to Renata.

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