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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. On page 95, Mary mentions the "fun of the frisson." What is a frisson?

2. When Mary, startled by the envelope's contents, cries out and rises to her feet, how does Ned react?

3. What does Mary conclude she needs to do in order to see the ghost?

4. When Mary and Ned see the man coming toward the hosue in October, what does Mary assume?

5. As Mary thinks back over the events of October, she sees a figure coming toward the house again. Who is it?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Write an essay that explores the narrative voice of "Afterward" and takes a position on how this narrative voice contributes to the story's overall effect. Be sure to give specific textual evidence for your position.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay that examines the final sighting of Bob Elwell's ghost. Why does Wharton take up space with the elaborate procedure of questioning various maids? Why not simply have Trimmle be the one to see the mysterious visitor? Why have any of the maids see him at all? What is the significance of the slip of paper, and why do the exact details of the encounter matter so much to Mary as she thinks back over Ned's disappearance many months later? Make a claim about how the choices Wharton makes regarding the ghost's final appearance impact the meaning of the overall story.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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