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

2. 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) The house is deliberately keeping them from seeing its ghost.
(c) It is shy.
(d) It will not see you without an appointment.

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

4. What aspect of the house does Alida mention that finally convinces Ned and Mary that it is as old as they are hoping?
(a) It is in the official register of historic homes.
(b) It has no electrical system.
(c) It has a very unreliable water supply.
(d) It has no central heating system.

5. What causes Mary to finally be certain that the ghost was Bob Elwell?
(a) Her visitor recognizes him from her description.
(b) Her visitor sees the ghost and knows that it is Elwell.
(c) She sees a picture of Elwell.
(d) She reads a letter that Elwell wrote.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Ned's motive seem to be when he first brings up the subject of whether the house has a ghost?

2. When the story refers to "Boyne," who or what is being referred to?

3. Why does Mary have a hard time seeing the details of the man's appearance on that day in October?

4. 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?

5. What is the name of Mary and Ned's house?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What draws the Boynes to England?

3. In the narrative present at the beginning of the story, where is Mary and what is she doing?

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

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

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

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

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

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

10. What horrifying chain of events does Mary understand once she sees Bob Elwell's picture?

(see the answer keys)

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