THE RANSOM OF RED CHIEF

1. What is the main central conflict of the story "The Ransom of Red Chief"?
2. How do we expect Red Chief to react to the kidnapping? How does it affect the reader?
3. Why does Bill ask Sam to reduce the ransom amount?
4. Why did the father's response surprise the kidnappers in "The Ransom of Red Chief"?
5. How do Bill and Sam finally get rid of Red Chief?
6. Why do Bill and Sam choose Summit as the location for the kidnapping in "The Ransom of Red Chief"?
7. What does Red Chief do which makes Bill and Sam wonder if they have made a mistake?
8. In what kind of container is Ebenezer Dorset instructed to put the ransom?
9. Why does Bill ask Sam if they can lower the ransom demand in "The Ransom of Red Chief"?
10. How does the boy's father respond to the ransom letter in "The Ransom of Red Chief"?
11. What did Red Chief say to terrorize his kidnappers?
12. How much irony is used in "The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henry?
13. Where did the kidnappers take the boy in "The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henry?
14. What kind of a letter did the kidnappers write to Ebeneezer Dorset? What were its contents?
15. How would you describe Red Chief in "The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henry?
16. What type of irony does "The Ransom of Red Chief" end with?
17. What is one character flaw Bill or Sam has in "The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henry?
18. In "The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henri, how does the little boy respond to being kidnapped?
19. How does the boy respond to the kidnappers and what can you infer about his character in " The Ransom of Red
Chief”?
20. Why does Bill and Sam's plan backfire in "The Ransom of Red Chief"?
21. In "The Ransom of Red Chief," what are five adjectives that describe Sam and Bill?
22. Why did Bill and Sam kidnap the boy in "The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henry?
23. In "The Ransom of Red Chief," why did Bill and Sam decide to kidnap a prominent citizen's child?
24. What is a summary of "The Ransom of the Red Chief"?
25. Where was the location/setting in which "The Ransom of Red Chief" takes place?
26. In "The Ransom of Red Chief," what is the town Red Chief lives in and how is its name ironic?
27. What is the significance of the word choice in "The Ransom of Red Chief"?
28. In "The Ransom of Red Chief," how did Sam wake up in the morning? What was Red Chief doing?
29. In "The Ransom of Red Chief," why did Sam and Bill decide on a semi-rural area rather than the city?
30. Why did Bill and Sam decide to kidnap a prominent citizen’s child?
31. Who is Sam in O. Henry's story "The Ransom of Red Chief"?
32. What two things did the kidnappers not anticipate?
33. How does "The Ransom of Red Chief" reflect O. Henry's life?
34. In "The Ransom of Red Chief," why does Bill ask Sam the following?: "There isn't any heart...
35. In "The Ransom of Red Chief," why do Bill and Sam decide on the town of Summit for their scheme?
36. What unexpected circumstances affected Bill and Sam's plan to get money?
37. Why does the boy prefer staying with Sam and Bill to going home in "The Ransom of Red Chief"?
38. A kidnapping plan ought to do better in the country than in the city. Why did Sam and Bill think so?
39. In the "Ransom of Red Chief," what nickname does the kid give himself?