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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. 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 quietly tells her to sit back down.
(c) He rushes to her side to comfort her.
(d) He laughs loudly and tells her to stop being dramatic.

3. 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 was clearly unlucky.
(c) It was an obvious breach of etiquette.
(d) It did not seem to have any significant meaning for the future.

4. 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 angry at her.
(c) Ned is probably ill.
(d) Ned is keeping a secret from her.

5. What does Ned say, on page 83, must be true for him to believe a house is old?
(a) It must be "bought out of an exhibition."
(b) It must be "a registered home."
(c) It must be "thoroughly uncomfortable."
(d) It must be "practical."

Short Answer Questions

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

2. Why does the narrator say that Ned and Mary are "two romantic Americans" (83)?

3. On that evening in the library in section "II," what does Mary see has happened when she looks up from preparing the tea?

4. In section "V," who comes to visit Mary?

5. What aspect of the house does Alida mention that finally convinces Ned and Mary that it is as old as they are hoping?

Short Essay Questions

1. In the beginning of section "IV," how much time has elapsed since Ned's disappearance, and what has been happening in that time?

2. How does the narrator describe the life that the Boynes had in America?

3. What happens with the mysterious visitor on the day that Ned disappears?

4. What does Mary remember happening earlier in the day in October when she and Ned first climbed Meldon Steep?

5. What does Ned tell Mary about the Blue Star lawsuit?

6. What strange conclusion does Mary come to about the relationship of the ghost to the house, Lyng?

7. How has Ned's mood changed on the morning after he and Mary first discussed the Blue Star lawsuit, and what does Mary believe changed his mood?

8. Why does Parvis come to see Mary near the end of the story?

9. What do Mary and Ned plan to do with their time at Lyng?

10. What news does Mary learn from a newspaper clipping that someone sends her in the mail, and why is she so upset by it?

(see the answer keys)

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