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

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 did not seem as confusing at the time as it would later become.
(c) It was clearly unlucky.
(d) It was an obvious breach of etiquette.

2. In section "V," who comes to visit Mary?
(a) Bob Elwell's widow.
(b) Parvis.
(c) Hugo.
(d) Alida.

3. 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 the mail to be brought in.
(d) She is waiting for dinner to be announced.

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

5. What explanation does Ned give Mary at the time of the mysterious visit in October?
(a) He refuses to talk about the incident.
(b) It was the boyfriend of Trimmle, the parlor maid.
(c) It was a tourist who had heard stories about their ghost.
(d) It was Peters, the man working on their stable drains.

6. When Ned speeds off to talk with the mysterious visitor on that day in October, why does it take Mary so long to follow?
(a) Ned tells her not to follow him.
(b) One of the heels of her shoes has come loose.
(c) She is too frightened of the ghost to move, at first.
(d) She is dizzy and has to move carefully.

7. 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 has too much competition from other "ghostly" things.
(d) It will not see you without an appointment.

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

9. 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 grafted with many different kinds of pears on each tree.
(d) They are trained to grow flat against the wall.

10. In Mary's mind, what is the only possible source of information about what has happened to Ned?
(a) Ned's papers.
(b) Lyng.
(c) Trimmle.
(d) Parvis.

11. For the past week, what has Mary been assuming is the cause for Ned's need to be alone and his odd mood?
(a) She thinks that he has seen the ghost.
(b) She thinks that his book is not going very well.
(c) She thinks that he misses having a regular job to go to.
(d) She thinks that he regrets moving to England.

12. In section "II," what question does Mary repeatedly ask Ned that evening in the library?
(a) She asks whether he is having an affair.
(b) She asks him what secret he is keeping from her.
(c) She asks whether it was a good idea to move into this particular house.
(d) She asks whether he has given up trying to see the ghost.

13. While she is thinking it over in the library, where does Mary finally decide the blame lies for Ned's distracted, anxious mood?
(a) With Ned's business affairs.
(b) With Ned.
(c) With herself.
(d) With the house and its ghost.

14. On page 84, the reader learns about the "prodigious windfall" that Ned and Mary experienced. Where did this "prodigious windfall" come from?
(a) The death of their cousin Hugo.
(b) The Blue Star Mine.
(c) Ned's engineering job.
(d) The Waukesha Sentinel.

15. Why does Mary have a hard time seeing the details of the man's appearance on that day in October?
(a) The man is deliberately keeping himself in the shadows.
(b) Ned quickly moves to block her view.
(c) The sun is behind the man.
(d) Her eyesight is not very good.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why is Mary unsure what Ned has or has not already told her about Beb Elwell?

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

3. What have Mary's new neighbors told her about the ghost?

4. When Ned begins to read the newspaper in the library in section "II," he tries to sound casual as he asks Mary a question. What is the question?

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

(see the answer keys)

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