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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. In the opening of the story, what is Mary waiting for?
(a) She is waiting for Ned to arrive.
(b) She is waiting for the mail to be brought in.
(c) She is waiting for dinner to be announced.
(d) She is waiting for the lamps to be brought in.

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

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

4. What does Mary conclude she needs to do in order to see the ghost?
(a) Stop actively looking for it.
(b) Find out whose ghost it is supposed to be.
(c) Make a habit of speaking out loud to the ghost.
(d) Get to know the house better.

5. What does Mary suddenly remember finding one day in October?
(a) A letter addressed to a previous occupant of the house.
(b) A mysterious portrait.
(c) A hidden staircase.
(d) A book on the house's history.

Short Answer Questions

1. In section "II," what question does Mary repeatedly ask Ned that evening in the library?

2. According to Alida, what is unusual about the ghost at Ned and Mary's new house?

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

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

5. Which character opens the story on page 83 by saying "Oh, there is one, of course, but you'll never know it"?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. What do the Boynes tell Alida Stair about why Lyng's drawbacks are not problems from their point of view?

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

6. What does Alida Stair tell the Boynes about 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. In the narrative present at the beginning of the story, where is Mary and what is she doing?

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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