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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 is waiting in the library at the beginning of the story, where is Ned?

2. When does Mary first realize that Ned is missing?

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

4. Why is the information about Bob Elwell's slow death so significant to Mary?

5. On page 84, the narrator links isolated environments to "acuities of emotion." What are "acuities of emotion"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What draws the Boynes to England?

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

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

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

5. 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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

No one in the story is explicit about what happened during the Blue Star Mine scandal, although Parvis does explain in general terms how Ned cheated Bob Elwell. Write an essay that takes and defends a position about why this is. What does the story gain by being vague about the exact sequence of events, and what would it lose by taking up more space explaining what happened? Offer specific textual evidence to support 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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