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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. When they are all laughing about the idea of a ghost, what does it mean that Mary "noted a certain flatness of tone in Alida's answering hilarity" (83)?
(a) Mary has only just realized that Alida is using this discussion as an opportunity to make fun of Mary and Ned.
(b) Mary suspects that Alida feels embarrassed because she is lying about the ghost.
(c) Mary recognizes that Alida is probably jealous of their good fortune and is trying to hide it.
(d) Alida is laughing along, but Mary suspects that for some reason Alida does not find the subject as funny as everyone else does.

2. 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?
(a) They had already pre-planned every detail of how they would spend their days.
(b) They had a map of England pinned over their kitchen table at their old house in America.
(c) They were discussing a move to England even before they got married.
(d) They made an agreement with one another that they would do "anything" it took to make their dream come true.

3. In section "III," when Mary looks at the house from across the property, what does she feel about the house?
(a) That it seems to be laughing at her, somehow, almost mockingly.
(b) That is is like an evil creature squatting in the landcape.
(c) That it is like a kindly older person that keeps secrets for the good of others.
(d) That it seems to be trying to communicate something urgent to her.

4. Why does Mary believe that people should not talk about seeing ghosts?
(a) It makes people wonder about your sanity.
(b) It is bad manners.
(c) It is dangerous.
(d) It frightens the ghosts away.

5. What have Mary's new neighbors told her about the ghost?
(a) Nothing.
(b) That it can only be seen at night.
(c) That it is often absent for long stretches of time.
(d) That she will not know when she sees it.

6. 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 seems positive at first but later reveals a negative side.
(b) Meaning that stays with a person and is hard to "shake."
(c) Meaning that was always there but takes time to emerge.
(d) Meaning that reveals a hidden aspect of the speaker.

7. 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) No one knows they have seen it until quite a while after they actually see it.
(c) It can take different forms depending on who is living in the house.
(d) It can assume a physical form.

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

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

10. What is the name of Mary and Ned's house?
(a) Pangbourne.
(b) Lyng.
(c) Merton.
(d) Boyne.

11. 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) Stop actively looking for it.
(c) Get to know the house better.
(d) Make a habit of speaking out loud to the ghost.

12. 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?
(a) They are draped with nets to keep the birds away from the fruit.
(b) They are miniature pear trees.
(c) They are trained to grow flat against the wall.
(d) They are grafted with many different kinds of pears on each tree.

13. Why is the information about Bob Elwell's slow death so significant to Mary?
(a) She is devastated about how much suffering her husband caused.
(b) She realizes that Ned lied when he told her that everything was resolved.
(c) She realizes that the timing lines up with the sightings of the ghost.
(d) She cannot help being glad that the man who made her husband suffer also suffered.

14. What is the only descriptive detail that the maid is able to give Mary about the stranger's appearance?
(a) He was not very tall.
(b) He walked with a limp.
(c) He wore foreign clothing.
(d) He had an unusual hat.

15. When the story refers to "Boyne," who or what is being referred to?
(a) The house.
(b) Mary.
(c) Ned.
(d) Ned's father.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where is Mary and Ned's house located?

2. When Mary, startled by the envelope's contents, cries out and rises to her feet, how does Ned react?

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

4. After Mary thinks more about the house and its ghost, what does she begin to wonder?

5. As Mary thinks back over the events of October, she sees a figure coming toward the house again. Who is it?

(see the answer keys)

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