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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why can’t the figure in the pattern escape?

2. Who does the narrator think she sees creeping outside her windows?

3. What does John cry for to break down the door?

4. Where does John go toward the end of the story?

5. Where doesn’t the narrator want to go at the end of the story?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the narrator say “exhausts” her?

2. How does the narrator initially explain her condition?

3. What does this quote suggest: “It is so pleasant to be out in this great room and creep around as I please.”

4. Where does the narrator think she sees the woman in the wallpaper?

5. The narrator says that she watches the paper always. What does this increasing obsession suggest about the narrator?

6. How does the narrator feel about her husband and brother’s prescriptions?

7. The narrator believes the wallpaper has an odor. How does she describe the odor?

8. Why is the narrator glad that she is in the nursery and not the baby?

9. How is the narrator’s behavior changing because of her obsession?

10. What’s illuminating about the conversation between John and the narrator on page 110? What is his tone with her? How does he treat her?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The narrator states that she will not jump out of the window lest it be misconstrued. Why is she more concerned about her reputation rather than the fact that if she jumped out the window she would be severely injured or killed? What does this suggest?

Essay Topic 2

The narrator has been prescribed strict rest, which prohibits her from reading or writing. Why does she choose to do so anyway? Why does writing bring her comfort?

Essay Topic 3

One moment the narrator says she likes the nursery and is glad for it, and the next moment she wishes that John would take her away. What do the inconsistencies suggest?

(see the answer keys)

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