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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Section 1: "Afterward".

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In the opening of the story, what is Mary waiting for?
(a) She is waiting for Ned to arrive.
(b) She is waiting for the lamps to be brought in.
(c) She is waiting for dinner to be announced.
(d) She is waiting for the mail to be brought in.

2. Why is Mary unsure what Ned has or has not already told her about Beb Elwell?
(a) Because the Bob Elwell story is very similar to another incident in their past.
(b) Because Ned has a habit of lying about what he has or has not told her.
(c) Because she does not pay much attention when he talks about work.
(d) Because ever since they moved into the house, her memory is getting weaker.

3. When Mary tells Ned what she has learned from her mail, how does Ned react?
(a) He looks guilty and immediately leaves the room.
(b) He gets angry at her and asks whether she trusts him.
(c) He snatches the mail from her and throws it into the fire.
(d) He relaxes and tells her it is nothing to worry about.

4. When Mary searches Ned's desk, to whom does she find he has been writing?
(a) Parvis.
(b) Bob Elwell.
(c) Alida Stair.
(d) The Waukesha Sentinel.

5. According to Alida, what is unusual about the ghost at Ned and Mary's new house?
(a) It can come and go--it is not "bound" to the house itself.
(b) It can assume a physical form.
(c) It can take different forms depending on who is living in the house.
(d) No one knows they have seen it until quite a while after they actually see it.

Short Answer Questions

1. For the past week, what has Mary been assuming is the cause for Ned's need to be alone and his odd mood?

2. Why does the narrator say that Ned and Mary are "two romantic Americans" (83)?

3. From what period is Ned and Mary's new home?

4. On page 95, Mary mentions the "fun of the frisson." What is a frisson?

5. When section "III" opens, Mary is spending the morning working outdoors. She goes into the area where the "espaliered" pear trees are (89). What kind of pear trees are these?

(see the answer key)

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