The Stranger by Rudyard Kipling The Stranger within my gate, He may be true or kind, But does not talk

my talk I cannot feel his mind. I see the face and the eyes and the mouth, But not the soul behind. The men of my own stock, They may do ill or well, But they tell the lies I am wonted to, They are used to the lies I tell; And we do not need interpreters When we go to buy and sell. The Stranger within my gates, He may be evil or good, But I cannot tell what powers control What reasons sway his mood; Nor when the Gods of his far-off land Shall repossess his blood. The men of my own stock, Bitter bad they may be, But, at least, they hear the things I hear, And see the things I see; And whatever I think of them and their likes They think of the likes of me. This was my fathers belief And this is also mine: Let the corn be of all one sheaf And the grapes be all one vine, Ere our childrens teeth are set on edge By bitter bread and wine.

10

15

20

25

30

1. In line 22, the meaning of stock refers to A. Merchandise B. Banality C. Company D. Family E. Lineage 2. From the poem, the reader can infer that the Stranger is A. Predictable B. Isolated C. Kind D. Detached E. Unbalanced 3. In lines 29-30 (This wasalso mine) indicate that the speakers father A. Believes in God B. Is still alive C. Is sympathetic of foreigners D. Is curious of the Stranger E. Would rather understand his company 4. The speaker shows all of the following characteristics, except A. Wariness B. Puzzlement C. Prudence D. Set E. Indifference 5. In the poem, the speaker and the men I. Have similar beliefs and behaviors II. Accept the Stranger with hesitance III. Openly disregard the Stranger A. I only B. III only C. I and II D. II and III E. I, II and III

1. ANSWER: C The answer choice is C. When used within the poem, company refers to the set of men, and the characteristics of each man, that the speaker associates with (i.e. having a similar mindset to the speaker, in comparison to the strangeness of the stranger). Choice A is incorrect. Merchandise is synonymous to manufactured goods used in trade. It does not relate within the sentence as the men are not related as possessions of the speaker, but as a mass of similar thoughts and behaviors that the speaker possesses. Choice B is incorrect. The word banality means to lack originality, or to be mundane. In context, banality does not make sense as it does describe the men and speaker correctly, as inferred within the rest of the stanza (i.e. tell the lies I am wonted to). Choice D is incorrect. The poem does not directly state that the men are biologically related to the speaker. The men are described as a group of people who the speaker relates to, but are not necessarily the speakers family. Choice E is incorrect. The word lineage describes the line of descendants of an ancestor, similar to choice D. It is not inferred whether or not the speaker is related to the men by blood. It only describes the men as having similar mindsets as the speaker. 2. ANSWER: B The answer is B. The Stranger has separate behaviors from the men and speaker, and his or her actions are mystifying and distinct from the predictableness of the men. This infers that due to the Strangers lack of similarity, as well as the distanced manner in which the speaker talks about him or her, the Stranger is isolated from the speakers society. Choice A is incorrect. The Stranger is described as not having similar speech or behavior patterns as the speaker since the speaker cannot feel the Strangers mind and is unfamiliar with the Strangers soul. This infers that the Stranger is not a predictable person, but someone who is the opposite: mysterious. Choice C is incorrect. The speaker directly states that the Stranger may be either evil or good. The personality of the Stranger is not mentioned specifically, and there is not enough information and context to assume that the Strangers actions are generally good and moral. Choice D is incorrect. The word detached implies a lack of involvement and disinterest. The poem shows no indication that the Stranger chooses to be aloof or not be involved within the surrounding society. Instead, the Stranger is alienated by the men, and speaker, due to his or her strangeness. There is no indication that he or she chose his or her isolation. Choice E is incorrect. Unbalanced implies an unbalanced, or psychotic mindset. The Stranger, although having unusual mannerisms in comparison to the men and speaker, does not show unstable behaviors due to mental incapability. His or her behaviors come from the previous society and learned manners.

3. ANSWER: E The answer is E. The line mentions that this was the speakers fathers belief, which infers that the belief was mentioned previously. In the previous stanza, the speaker states how it is better to know the surrounding people and how their minds operate, despite their behaviors or personalities. Choice A is incorrect. The only belief of the father that the speaker describes is his belief of knowing the people around oneself and how they react and act. Other beliefs, such as religious inclinations, are not mentioned. Choice B is incorrect. There is no indication that the speakers father is or is not alive. The line mentioning the father is used in context of the fathers belief than state of being. It cannot be assumed that the father is alive just because the speaker chooses to believe in similar ideas as his or her father. Choice C is incorrect. The speaker only describes the fathers belief that one should know the surrounding company and their mindset. Other beliefs are not mentioned. However, it could be inferred that the father would not be sympathetic of the Stranger, a foreigner, because the Stranger is an enigma in the familiar society. Choice D is incorrect. The father being curious of the stranger implies that the father is alive. Although, it might be inferred that the father and speaker would have similar thought processes, and might therefore be curious of the Stranger like the speaker is, there is no sufficient evidence to support this. 4. ANSWER: E The answer is E. The speaker chooses to ponder over the Stranger, as stated within this poem. This infers that the speaker is curious of the Stranger and chooses to think of the stranger. If indifferent, the speaker would not care to the Strangers presence. Choice A is incorrect. The speaker is wary of the Stranger. He or she realizes that the Stranger may bring good or bad qualities with him or her, and so the speaker is cautious of how the Stranger will react and behave, since it is unknown. Choice B is incorrect. The speaker shows signs of distress and confusion as to what to think of the stranger. It can be inferred that because the speaker does not know how the Stranger reacts and why the Stranger acts in certain ways, the speaker does not know how to feel about the Stranger. Choice C is incorrect. The speaker, in the last two lines, shows signs of consciousness of the future of his or her society and the relationships formed. He or she is wary that the Stranger may prove to be the downfall of the societal structure that has been established. This infers that the speaker is wise to not trust the Stranger yet. Choice D is incorrect. The speaker has repeatedly stated that despite the mens behaviors and actions, it is better to be surrounded by a person one knows, rather than someone that is unfamiliar. This shows that the speaker is decided in his or her beliefs.

5. ANSWER: A The answer is A. The speaker infers that he or she and the men have similar actions and reactions, which is why they both work together in such an easy manner. Choice B is incorrect. Although the speaker and men show wariness towards the Stranger, there is no context or evidence showing that they openly show disdain for the stranger. Choice C is incorrect. It can be inferred that, due to the speaker and mens wariness, the Stranger has not been accepted by the society. There is not sufficient evidence to support II. Choice D is incorrect. II and III are not sufficiently supported within the poem. Choice E is incorrect. II and III are not sufficiently supported within the poem.