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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. On page 95, Mary mentions the "fun of the frisson." What is a frisson?
(a) The feeling of "butterflies" in one's stomach.
(b) A frightening story.
(c) A teasing remark.
(d) A sensation of chills or prickling down one's back.

2. What does Mary suddenly remember finding one day in October?
(a) A hidden staircase.
(b) A letter addressed to a previous occupant of the house.
(c) A mysterious portrait.
(d) A book on the house's history.

3. Mary thinks about the "latent" significance of a piece of information on page 83. What kind of meaning does this information have?
(a) Meaning that was always there but takes time to emerge.
(b) Meaning that seems positive at first but later reveals a negative side.
(c) Meaning that reveals a hidden aspect of the speaker.
(d) Meaning that stays with a person and is hard to "shake."

4. For how many years did Ned and Mary live in the American Midwest while Ned worked as an engineer?
(a) 34.
(b) 4.
(c) 24.
(d) 14.

5. When Mary thinks back on the October visit from the mysterious man, she thinks that it "had no mark of the portentous" (86). What does this mean she felt about the visit at the time that it happened?
(a) It did not seem as confusing at the time as it would later become.
(b) It did not seem to have any significant meaning for the future.
(c) It was an obvious breach of etiquette.
(d) It was clearly unlucky.

Short Answer Questions

1. When the story refers to "Boyne," who or what is being referred to?

2. What does Mary conclude she needs to do in order to see the ghost?

3. What explanation does Ned give Mary at the time of the mysterious visit in October?

4. What does Ned's motive seem to be when he first brings up the subject of whether the house has a ghost?

5. What detail does the narrator relate as evidence of how much Ned and Mary have yearned for a life like the one they have in England?

(see the answer key)

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