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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. Fill in the blanks respectively: I _________ at nothing, and ________most of the time.

2. What type of figure does the narrator believe she sees in the pattern?

3. Jennie says what stains all of their clothing?

4. How long is John gone for toward the end of the story?

5. Why does the narrator stop looking out the windows?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does John threaten to send the narrator to Weir Mitchell?

2. Who is Weir Mitchell?

3. How has the major life event that the narrator recently endured affected her mental health?

4. The narrator briefly considers jumping out the window. Why does she decide against it?

5. In 1862, what was the standard cure for depression, specifically after a woman has had a baby?

6. What is the “smooch” on the wall?

7. What is suggested by the narrator’s concern for her reputation?

8. What is the wallpaper’s odor a metaphor for?

9. Why does the narrator consider jumping out the window?

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

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

Throughout the story, John’s names for the narrator become more and more patronizing and child-like. Was the narrator becoming more childlike in her actions, or was John just being patronizing? What effect does this have on the narrator?

Essay Topic 3

How does the narrator change throughout the story? What moments in the story are indicative of a change?

(see the answer keys)

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