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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What event causes Mary to temporarily forget about the mysterious man they saw in October?
(a) She and Ned climb Meldon Steep.
(b) She receives a letter from Alida Stair.
(c) One of the housemaids quits.
(d) The greenhouse boiler breaks.

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

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

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

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

6. Who is the author of "Afterward"?
(a) Henry James.
(b) O. Henry.
(c) Edith Wharton.
(d) Shirley Jackson.

7. After Mary thinks more about the house and its ghost, what does she begin to wonder?
(a) Whether Ned has seen the ghost and this is the cause of his strange mood.
(b) Whether it is possible that Alida lied to them about the ghost.
(c) Whether her household servants have ever seen the ghost.
(d) Whether she might actually already know the identity of the ghost.

8. To what do Mary and Ned attribute the great beauty they see in England?
(a) Its small size.
(b) Their own hatred for the American Midwest.
(c) Its history.
(d) New places always seem attractive at first.

9. Ned asks Alida a question about the ghost's "signalement" (84). What is he asking about?
(a) Its physical description.
(b) Its movements and habits.
(c) Its motivations.
(d) Its background.

10. From what period is Ned and Mary's new home?
(a) Edwardian.
(b) Georgian.
(c) Tudor.
(d) Regency.

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

12. 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 regrets moving to England.
(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 has seen the ghost.

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

14. When Mary discards her first two ideas about what is bothering Ned, she comes to a conclusion that upsets her. What is it?
(a) Ned is having an affair.
(b) Ned is probably ill.
(c) Ned is angry at her.
(d) Ned is keeping a secret from her.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. 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?

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

3. Why does Mary ask the mysterious young man whether he has an appointment with Ned?

4. In section "III," when Mary looks at the house from across the property, what does she feel about the house?

5. When the young man appears behind Mary, who does she at first assume that he is?

(see the answer keys)

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