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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 does Mary first realize that Ned is missing?
(a) When Trimmle comes in to ask her whether she has seen Ned.
(b) When the stranger reappears and asks for him again.
(c) When the boiler repairman asks to speak with him.
(d) When she tries to find him to tell him that lunch is ready.

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

3. 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) The sun is behind the man.
(c) Ned quickly moves to block her view.
(d) Her eyesight is not very good.

4. What does Mary find in the envelope addressed to her?
(a) A newspaper clipping.
(b) An anonymous note.
(c) A photograph.
(d) A letter from Parvis.

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

Short Answer Questions

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

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

3. 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)?

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. When Mary searches Ned's desk, to whom does she find he has been writing?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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. On the day of his disappearance, what is so frustrating for Mary about her conversation with her staff about where Ned is?

(see the answer keys)

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