View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Who rushes to Angelica's side?

2. What causes the spinster to go back inside when she tries to watch the fight?

3. Who does Mrs. Ramsey write to?

4. What is the name of Polly's fiance?

5. How old is Jim when he gets on a train?

Short Essay Questions

1. What lesson does Emily learn from Lottie?

2. How are Daisy and her sister able to find humor in unpleasantness?

3. Why is the cemetery the best place for Emily to read?

4. How is anonymity a theme in "The Philosophy Lesson"?

5. What are the effects of Beatrice's childhood on her adulthood?

6. Explain how the title, "Between the Porch and the Altar", relates to the plot of the story.

7. How does Emma show that she is afraid of rejection?

8. What are the spinster's final feelings about the "I love someone" written on the sidewalk?

9. What is the community reaction to Emily getting the evangelists kicked out of town, and why?

10. How does the spinster feel about the fight she sees outside her house?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Stafford use irony in her stories? Give 3 examples.

Essay Topic 2

What role do social groups and social situations play in the short stories?

Essay Topic 3

Explain how relevant the title of 3 different short stories is to the plot, characters, and setting of those stories.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 661 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample