Q 01/05

What does the final paragraph of 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge' reveal about Peyton Farquhar's escape?

A) It ended with his recapture

B) It happened only in his mind

C) A sergeant secretly staged it

D) It lasted a full week

Answer · why

B) It happened only in his mind

It happened only in his mind: the whole flight home passes in the instant between the drop and the noose snapping his neck. Bierce holds that back for...

Q 02/05

In 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge', what is the slow metallic pounding that torments Farquhar before the drop?

A) A blacksmith at his anvil

B) A drummer beating time

C) Hammers repairing the track

D) The ticking of his watch

Answer · why

D) The ticking of his watch

The ticking of his watch swells until each stroke hurts like the thrust of a knife. Like the driftwood that seems to crawl downstream, it shows Farquh...

Q 03/05

The soldier who tells Farquhar about Owl Creek Bridge rides back north after dark because he is secretly what?

A) A Federal scout

B) A Confederate deserter

C) A bounty hunter

D) A railroad detective

Answer · why

A) A Federal scout

A Federal scout in enemy uniform, he has baited Farquhar into a trap. A posted order already promises death to anyone caught tampering with the line.

Q 04/05

Which American anthology series aired the French film of 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge' as an episode in 1964?

A) The Outer Limits

B) Alfred Hitchcock Presents

C) The Twilight Zone

D) Kraft Suspense Theatre

Answer · why

C) The Twilight Zone

The Twilight Zone aired the finished French film instead of shooting its own version. Host Rod Serling opened by telling viewers it had been made over...

Q 05/05

Ambrose Bierce, author of 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge', vanished after traveling in 1913 to which country?

A) Cuba

B) Mexico

C) Panama

D) Brazil

Answer · why

B) Mexico

Mexico was in the middle of a revolution, and Bierce, aged 71, reportedly joined Pancho Villa's army as an observer before he vanished. His fate has n...