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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. 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) She is too frightened of the ghost to move, at first.
(c) She is dizzy and has to move carefully.
(d) One of the heels of her shoes has come loose.

2. 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 frightens the ghosts away.
(d) It is dangerous.

3. 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) Ned's engineering job.
(c) The Waukesha Sentinel.
(d) The death of their cousin Hugo.

4. 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) Alida is laughing along, but Mary suspects that for some reason Alida does not find the subject as funny as everyone else does.
(b) Mary has only just realized that Alida is using this discussion as an opportunity to make fun of Mary and Ned.
(c) Mary recognizes that Alida is probably jealous of their good fortune and is trying to hide it.
(d) Mary suspects that Alida feels embarrassed because she is lying about the ghost.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. When the story opens, in which room of her house is Mary waiting?

2. Ned asks Alida a question about the ghost's "signalement" (84). What is he asking about?

3. When Mary tells Ned what she has learned from her mail, how does Ned react?

4. What does Mary learn about the Blue Star Mine deal from her visitor in section "V"?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

2. After she finds out that he has gone out with the mysterious man and not yet returned, why is Mary immediately alarmed?

3. Describe the emotional condition that Mary is in in section "IV" of the story.

4. What is the name of Ned's book, and what is the thematic significance of this title?

5. What is Mary doing on the morning that Ned disappears?

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

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

8. What does Alida Stair tell the Boynes about Lyng?

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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