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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. 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 to have any significant meaning for the future.
(b) It was clearly unlucky.
(c) It did not seem as confusing at the time as it would later become.
(d) It was an obvious breach of etiquette.

2. What does Mary conclude she needs to do in order to see the ghost?
(a) Find out whose ghost it is supposed to be.
(b) Make a habit of speaking out loud to the ghost.
(c) Stop actively looking for it.
(d) Get to know the house better.

3. When Mary, startled by the envelope's contents, cries out and rises to her feet, how does Ned react?
(a) He looks cornered and guilty.
(b) He laughs loudly and tells her to stop being dramatic.
(c) He rushes to her side to comfort her.
(d) He quietly tells her to sit back down.

4. 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 she does not pay much attention when he talks about work.
(c) Because Ned has a habit of lying about what he has or has not told her.
(d) Because ever since they moved into the house, her memory is getting weaker.

5. What is Ned's joking theory about why the ghost is so hard to see?
(a) It is shy.
(b) It has too much competition from other "ghostly" things.
(c) It will not see you without an appointment.
(d) The house is deliberately keeping them from seeing its ghost.

Short Answer Questions

1. What did Mary and Ned discover about their roof?

2. Which character opens the story on page 83 by saying "Oh, there is one, of course, but you'll never know it"?

3. 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?

4. On page 84, the reader learns about the "prodigious windfall" that Ned and Mary experienced. Where did this "prodigious windfall" come from?

5. What is the only descriptive detail that the maid is able to give Mary about the stranger's appearance?

(see the answer key)

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