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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. From what period is Ned and Mary's new home?

2. Why are Ned and Mary so interested in living in an isolated location?

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

4. For how many years did Ned and Mary live in the American Midwest while Ned worked as an engineer?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. What strange conclusion does Mary come to about the relationship of the ghost to the house, Lyng?

6. 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?

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

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

9. What draws the Boynes to England?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the meaning of the expression a "hothouse flower"? Look up this term and then write an essay that explores the meaning of the way Mary spends her time on the day of Ned's disappearance. Be sure to offer textual support for your claims.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay that makes and defends a claim about the purpose of the story's structure. Why does it begin with the moment that it begins with? How are flashbacks used, and why? What periods of time are narrated in detail, and which are compressed, and why? Offer textual evidence for your claims.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay that examines the issue of unearned privilege in "Afterward." How far does the story go in its critique of Mary and Ned's lifestyle? Might it have gone further? You may choose to also use evidence about Wharton's own life, depending on the scope of your thesis; if you do so, be sure to cite your sources in MLA format.

(see the answer keys)

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