Estimated Reading Time: 19 min
The Sun Also Rises MCQs
1. What was Robert Cohn’s boxing title at Princeton?
A. Lightweight champion
B. Heavyweight champion
C. Middleweight boxing champion
D. Featherweight champion
2. Why did Robert Cohn learn to box?
A. He enjoyed the sport immensely.
B. To impress Spider Kelly.
C. To counteract feelings of inferiority from being treated as a Jew.
D. To become a professional fighter.
3. Who was Spider Kelly?
A. Robert Cohn’s manager
B. Robert Cohn’s boxing instructor
C. A famous professional boxer
D. A Princeton alumnus
4. What physical feature of Robert Cohn was permanently altered by boxing?
A. His ears
B. His nose
C. His jaw
D. His teeth
5. Who was the first person Robert Cohn married after leaving Princeton?
A. A forceful lady from his magazine.
B. A girl who was nice to him.
C. Lady Brett Ashley.
D. Frances Clyne.
6. How long was Robert Cohn married to his first wife, and how many children did he have?
A. Two years, one child.
B. Three years, two children.
C. Five years, three children.
D. Ten years, four children.
7. What did Robert Cohn do after his divorce?
A. He travelled around America.
B. He moved to the Coast and backed an Arts review.
C. He went to Europe to write.
D. He returned to Princeton.
8. Who “took in hand” Robert Cohn after the magazine venture?
A. His first wife
B. Frances Clyne
C. A forceful lady who hoped to rise with the magazine
D. Lady Brett Ashley
9. Why did this lady urge Robert Cohn to go to Europe?
A. She wanted to travel.
B. She thought he could write there.
C. She had family there.
D. She was educated there.
10. Who were Robert Cohn’s two friends in Europe?
A. Braddocks (literary) and the narrator (tennis)
B. Bill Gorton and Mike Campbell
C. Frances Clyne and Lady Brett Ashley
D. Spider Kelly and Count Mippipopolous
11. Why did Frances’s attitude toward Robert change?
A. She realized he loved another woman.
B. She found out he had lost his money.
C. Her looks were going and she wanted him to marry her.
D. She became disgusted with his writing.
12. What happened to Robert Cohn’s novel when he went to America?
A. Many publishers rejected it.
B. A good publisher accepted it.
C. He decided not to publish it.
D. He lost the manuscript.
13. How did Cohn change after his trip to New York and the acceptance of his novel?
A. He became more simple and nice.
B. He became less enthusiastic about America.
C. He became less simple and less nice.
D. He dedicated himself more to Frances.
14. What book did Robert Cohn read that the narrator considers “sinister”?
A. War and Peace
B. The Purple Land
C. A Farewell to Arms
D. The Great Gatsby
15. What was Robert Cohn’s proposal to the narrator in his office?
A. To collaborate on a novel.
B. To go on a trip to South America.
C. To invest in a new magazine.
D. To play tennis more often.
16. Why did Robert Cohn want the narrator to come to South America with him?
A. The narrator had family there.
B. The narrator could talk Spanish.
C. The narrator had a lot of money.
D. The narrator was good at planning trips.
17. What did Robert Cohn say about his life that made the narrator feel sorry for him?
A. He couldn’t get his second book published.
B. He was tired of Frances.
C. His life was going too fast and he wasn’t truly living it.
D. He had lost all his money.
18. According to the narrator, who is the only type of person who lives their life “all the way up”?
A. Writers
B. Explorers
C. Bull-fighters
D. Gamblers
19. What was the narrator’s advice to Cohn about getting away from himself?
A. To read more books.
B. To move to a new country like South America.
C. That moving to another country doesn’t make a difference.
D. To find new friends.
20. What was the name of the girl whom the narrator picked up?
A. Frances
B. Brett
C. Georgette
D. Edna
21. What did the narrator tell Georgette was the matter with him?
A. He was tired from work.
B. He was sick.
C. He was bored.
D. He got hurt in the war.
22. Who arrived at the Bal with a crowd of young men?
A. Frances
B. Mrs. Braddocks
C. Brett
D. Georgette
23. How did Robert Cohn look at Brett when she came to the bar?
A. With disinterest
B. With eager expectation, like seeing the promised land.
C. With anger
D. With surprise
24. How was Brett described physically at the bar?
A. Tall and elegant in a formal gown.
B. Damned good-looking, with boyish hair.
C. Frail and nervous, with long flowing hair.
D. Wearing spectacles and a serious expression.
25. What did the narrator do with a fifty-franc note before leaving with Brett?
A. Gave it to Cohn.
B. Gave it to Brett.
C. Put it in an envelope for Georgette.
D. Lost it.
26. What was the narrator’s physical condition related to the war?
A. He had a visible injury that was “supposed to be funny.”
B. He had lost a leg.
C. He suffered from shell shock.
D. He had a chronic illness.
27. Who did Brett meet at the Café Select who wore an elk’s tooth on his watch-chain?
A. Zizi, the little Greek portrait-painter.
B. Robert Cohn.
C. Count Mippipopolous.
D. Mike Campbell.
28. What did the narrator do with his two bull-fight papers?
A. He read Le Toril first.
B. He read the yellow one first.
C. He decided not to read either.
D. He gave them to Cohn.
29. What did the Count offer Brett to go to Biarritz with him?
A. Ten thousand pounds
B. Ten thousand dollars
C. A new car
D. A diamond necklace
30. What did Brett tell the Count was the reason she couldn’t go with him?
A. She was in love with the narrator.
B. She was too ill to travel.
C. She was waiting for Mike.
D. She didn’t like Biarritz.
31. When the narrator asked if they could live together, what did Brett say?
A. Yes, they should try.
B. No, she’d just cheat on him.
C. They should go to the country.
D. She needed to leave him.
32. How many wars and revolutions had the Count been in?
A. One war, one revolution.
B. Three wars, two revolutions.
C. Seven wars, four revolutions.
D. Ten wars, five revolutions.
33. What was Harvey Stone’s “mystic vision” about why Robert wouldn’t marry her?
A. He was secretly married to another woman.
B. He was impotent.
C. He had always wanted a mistress.
D. He was too young to commit.
34. What did the concierge say about Brett after her late-night visit with the Count?
A. She was not “gentille” last night, but is of good family.
B. She was rude and disrespectful.
C. She was always very well-behaved.
D. She was just like all the other foreigners.
35. Where did Brett plan to go the next day?
A. Biarritz
B. Cannes
C. San Sebastian
D. London
36. What did Mike Campbell say about his war medals?
A. He had many, but lost them.
B. He never sent for them and gave miniatures away as souvenirs.
C. He was awarded the highest honors.
D. He kept them locked away.
37. What announced the start of the fiesta of San Fermin?
A. Church bells ringing.
B. A rocket bursting in the square.
C. Music and dancing in the streets.
D. A speech by the mayor.
38. What sound woke the narrator on the day of the running of the bulls?
A. Church bells
B. The bands playing
C. The rocket announcing the release of the bulls
D. People shouting
39. What did Romero do with Bocanegra’s ear after killing the bull?
A. He kept it for himself.
B. He threw it to the crowd.
C. He gave it to Brett.
D. He returned it to the breeders.
40. What insult did Mike give Brett regarding her choice of companions?
A. She must expect trouble if she goes about with Jews and bull-fighters.
B. She only cares about money.
C. She’s too promiscuous.
D. She’s a sadist.
41. What did Brett confess to the narrator about Pedro Romero?
A. He was a good bull-fighter.
B. She was “mad about the Romero boy.”
C. She was worried about his fight.
D. She found him attractive but too young.
42. What did Pedro Romero say about bull-fighters speaking English?
A. It was a necessary skill.
B. It would be very bad and the people would not like it.
C. It showed a modern approach.
D. It was acceptable for some.
43. What was Mike Campbell’s nickname for Brett?
A. My love
B. My lady
C. Circe
D. The temptress
44. What did Montoya do when he saw Romero with Brett?
A. He joined them happily.
B. He became angry and left without a nod.
C. He lectured Romero.
D. He introduced himself to Brett.
45. What was Mike’s drunken accusation against Robert Cohn?
A. He called Cohn a coward.
B. He accused Cohn of following Brett around like a “poor bloody steer.”
C. He said Cohn was jealous.
D. He blamed Cohn for his bankruptcy.
46. What was Robert Cohn doing when the narrator went to see him after the fight?
A. He was defiant and angry.
B. He was asleep.
C. Crying on the bed, apologizing and saying he was crázy for Brett.
D. He was packing to leave.
47. What did Robert Cohn say to the narrator just before leaving Pamplona?
A. He wanted to stay and fight for Brett.
B. He was leaving in the morning and asked for forgiveness.
C. He would be back for the next fiesta.
D. He still hated Mike.
48. What did Brett say was the reason she left Pedro Romero?
A. He was too young for her.
B. She didn’t want to be “one of these bitches that ruins children.”
C. He was not wealthy enough.
D. She was still in love with Mike.
49. What did Brett say to the narrator in the taxi in Madrid?
A. Oh, Jake, we could have had such a damned good time together.
B. I’m so glad we came to Madrid.
C. I miss Pedro Romero.
D. Let’s never talk about it again.
50. What was the narrator’s final, ironic response to Brett’s last line?
A. We will.
B. Don’t talk like that.
C. Yes, isn’t it pretty to think so?
D. Let’s get another drink.
Brief Overview
The Sun Also Rises is a novel by Ernest Hemingway. It is narrated by Jake Barnes, an American journalist living in Paris after World War I. He is part of the “Lost Generation” of disillusioned expatriates. A war injury has left Jake impotent, which complicates his life.
The story focuses on Jake and his group of friends. The central figure is Lady Brett Ashley, a beautiful Englishwoman whom Jake loves. Also in the group are Robert Cohn, a writer who is obsessed with Brett, and Mike Campbell, Brett’s alcoholic, bankrupt fiancé.
The group drifts through the cafes and bars of Paris, drinking and moving aimlessly. Brett has a brief affair with Cohn, which creates tension. Jake’s friend, Bill Gorton, arrives, and the group decides to travel to Spain for the bullfighting festival in Pamplona.
In Spain, the atmosphere becomes explosive. Brett becomes fascinated by a young, talented bullfighter named Pedro Romero. She begins an affair with him, which drives Robert Cohn mad with jealousy. Cohn ends up fighting both Jake and Romero.
The festival ends, and the group falls apart. Brett runs off with Romero, but she quickly sends a telegram to Jake asking him to rescue her from Madrid. Jake goes to her, and she admits she sent Romero away. The novel ends with Jake and Brett in a taxi, talking about the life they can never have together.
