The Interlopers by HH Munro (Saki)

Group F
Panugaling, Vanniessa Jane
Paredes, Rho Jessamin
Rebolos, Frances Angelie
Reyes, Dannica Miles
ED ENG 15 EDA4 Xavier University

Name: ______________________                                      Date: _______________

Year and Section: _______________                                  Score: _______________

l. VOCABULARY (10 points) 

Direction: Match each word in Column A with its meaning in Column B. Choose the letter of the
correct answer and write it on the blank space provided.

Column A Column B 

1. ____ acquiesce A. someone who intrudes on the privacy or

    property of another.
2. ____ affrays B. dangerously high or steep

3. ____ exasperation C. someone who roams from place to place

 making attacks and raids in search for plunder.

4. ____ gabble D. the fighting of two or more persons in a

    public place.
5. ____ Interlopers E. the act of troubling or annoying someone.

6. ____ languor F. to accept something reluctantly but without

    protest.

7. ____ marauder G. to look searchingly at something difficult to

    discern
8. ____ peering H. weakness or weariness of body or mind
8. ____ precipitous I. to help in a difficult situation
9. ____ succour J. to talk fast or foolishly
 The Interlopers by HH Munro (Saki)

II. COMPREHENSION CHECK (10 points)

Direction: Choose the correct answer. Write the letter in the space provided before each number.

___ 1. Who is the man that patrols the dark forest in quest of a human enemy?
A. Georg Znaeym
B. Ulrich von Gradwitz
C. Marauder
D. Foresters

___ 2. Where does the story take place?

A. On the Mountain
B. George’s house
C. On the crest of the hill
D. In the forest

___ 3. Who are the two neighboring landowners that have a nasty dispute over a piece of land?
A. Ulrich von Gradwitz and Georg Znaeym
B. Georg and the foresters
C. George Gradwitz and Von Znaeym
D. Ulrich Gradwitz and Marauders

___ 4. What do the two men do when they meet? 

A. immediately begin to fight 
B. trade insults 
C. the two enemies stood glaring at one another 
D. are knocked down and pinned under a tree 

___ 5. As the two men talk, — 

A. a storm begins to blow 
B. they start to develop a friendship 
C. Gradwitz’s men appear in the distance 
D. Znaeym’s men appear in the distance

___ 6. Which word describes the long problem that existed between the families?
A. Jealousy
B. Feud
C. Desperation
D. Precipitation

___ 7. Ulrich draws out his ___ and offers it to George.

A. Water
B. Bread
C. Crackers 
D. Wine 

___ 8. The two men decide to become friends because?

 The Interlopers by HH Munro (Saki)

A. Their men have ordered them to

B. They hate the neighbours
C. They have become tired of being enemies
D. They hope to save themselves by working together

___ 9. The narrator creates suspense by waiting until the end to?
A. Reveal what is approaching the men
B. Tell which man dies first
C. Explain what the men were fighting about
D. Warn readers against hunting at night

___ 10. At the end of the story, the approaching figures were 
A. Gradwitz’s men 
B. Znaeym’s men 
C. wolves 
D. weasels 

III. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (20 points)

Direction: Read carefully and answer the following questions. Limit your answer to 3-5
sentences only. (5 points each)

1. What was your reaction after reading the story? How did you feel about the long-standing
feuds and property disputes between Ulrich and Georg? 

2. In the story titled "The Interlopers," how does the natural setting, particularly the fallen
tree, affect Ulrich and Georg? How does it change their feelings toward each other? 

3. The story begins by setting up the expectation of violence. What is the role of violence in
the story and what role does nature play in the story?

4. The story’s title becomes a predominant theme in the short story. Represented in the
external conflict of "man vs. nature", who do you think are the true interlopers in the
story? Explain your answer.

ANSWER KEYS:

I. Vocabulary
1. F 6. H
 The Interlopers by HH Munro (Saki)

2. D 7. C
3. E 8. G
4. J 9. B
5. A 10. I

II. Comprehension Check

1. B 6. B
2. D 7. D
3. A 8. C
4. C 9. A
5. A 10. C

III. Discussion Questions (The answers may not be as exact, since this is based on the
students' own perspectives, understanding and values they get as what is written in the
answer key, but as sample answers only).

1. The feud between two families originated over a minor land dispute. It has become a long
series of poaching affrays and similar scandals that had embittered the relationships
between the families for three generations. With that, the neighbour feud had grown into
a personal one since Ulrich had come to be the head of his family; if there was a man in
the world whom he detested and wished ill, then it would be Georg Znaeym.
2. The natural setting is the primary antagonist of "The Interlopers" and completely
undermines Ulrich and Georg's goals and intentions. The fallen beech tree prevents each
man from taking revenge, and nature is portrayed as an indifferent, malicious force,
which is unconcerned with the plans of both men. The fallen tree also stopped Ulrich and
Georg from threatening and insulting one another due to the reason that both shared a
life-threatening dilemma with which they are confronted, prevents any physical reaction
and so, with the situation that they are in, it gives them cause to evaluate the significance
of their feud. It changed their feelings toward each other in a way that their hatred
towards each other turned into friendship. Also, with their current situation where the tree
intervenes, it shows that a more real threat of death may come from nature, a force which
doesn’t recognize feuding.

3. The story begins by setting up the expectation of violence. The two men are on a hunt for
one another. However, when they finally meet in the forest, the men are unable to act on
their murderous plans due to some social custom. Instead, nature becomes the violent
 The Interlopers by HH Munro (Saki)

actor of the story, trapping and ultimately killing the men. Aside from that, Nature is
almost a third character in the story. The author, Saki repeatedly personifies the natural
elements. In this story, nature commits deeds of violence, the storm “shrieks” (392), the
branches “answer” (392), and the wind “whistles” (392). Importantly, nature also controls
the plot of the story. Though the two men consider themselves to be in charge, but they
are at the mercy of the wild landscape the entire time.

4. Represented in the external conflict of "man vs. nature" found in the story, the two
characters may be considered as interlopers in the forest. Initially the narrator reveals that
both men view each other as the interloper; since neither thinks that the other has a
legitimate claim to the land. However, shortly after reconciling, the two men rejoice that
there are no others to interfere with their peace-making. In this moment, the characters
present all humans beside the two men as interlopers. One might consider nature an
interloper; the branches of the beech tree trap the men and the wolves ultimately kill
them. However, given the author’s well-known view on the superiority of nature over
man, it is more likely that the two men are the true interlopers, as they were disruptive in
their attempts to own and control the wild landscape.