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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. Why was John Harrington murdered, in "Casting the Runes"?

2. Why does Miss Denton become angry at Mr. Denton in "The Diary of Mr. Poynter"?

3. What is the name of the strange forest, in "A Neighbour's Landmark"?

4. During what season does John Haynes begin to hear strange whispering?

5. In "The Malice of Inanimate Objects," what does Mr. Burton put his cane through?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Lady Ivy and what does she want?

2. What did the dean find when he remodeled the church, in "An Episode of Cathedral History."

3. What is the legend of the three crowns?

4. What is in the sphere at the end of "Mr. Humphreys and his Inheritance," and what does Mr. Humphreys decide it means?

5. What does Mr. Harrington return to Mr. Karswell, and what happens to Mr. Karswell, at the end of "Casting the Runes"?

6. Who is Mr. Denton haunted by in "The Diary of Mr. Poynter," and what does he learn about that person?

7. What does the narrator learn about the wood carvings, at the end of "The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral"?

8. Who is Paxton, in the story "A Warning to the Curious," and what happens to him?

9. Who is Mr. Poschwitz, in the story "The Uncommon Prayer-Book"?

10. In "The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral," how did John Haynes' predecessor die?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What roles do villains play in James' stories. Choose two stories from James' collection and discuss how the villain interacts with the other characters. Is the villain always the ghost?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the character of Dennistoun. Why does James choose to use this character in another story? What is the benefit of this? What is the significance of Dennistoun not believing in the supernatural?

Essay Topic 3

How does description play a role in an author's work? How does the author use description to draw the reader into the story? What are some examples where the description does not work?

(see the answer keys)

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