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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. When Mary discards her first two ideas about what is bothering Ned, she comes to a conclusion that upsets her. What is it?

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

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

4. What does Mary learn from the contents of the envelope?

5. Why does Mary believe that people should not talk about seeing ghosts?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay that takes and defends a position about the emphasis Wharton gives to the physical evidence of Ned's emotional state. What is happening when he seems anxious, and what is happening when he seems relieved? From whose perspective is all of this shown, and why? How do these choices contribute to the story's overall meaning and effect? Be sure to support your claims with specific textual evidence.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay that explores "Afterward" as entertainment; make and defend a claim about whether the story succeeds as a disturbing "haunted house" tale. Offer specific textual support for your ideas.

Essay Topic 3

In "Afterward," two Americans use wealth that they have earned through exploitation to try to escape the realities of America into a fantasy of the European past. Write an essay that offers your opinion about whether Wharton did or did not intend this as a critique of America's dominant class and American history in general. If you use outside sources, be sure to cite them in MLA format.

(see the answer keys)

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