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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In 'October in the Chair,' who tells the first story?
(a) January.
(b) September.
(c) April.
(d) November.

2. What bad habits does the detective warn the narrator that he has?
(a) He is very messy and is visited at all hours by strange people.
(b) He snores and tests poisons on the dog.
(c) He snores and uses the mantelpiece for target practice.
(d) He is very messy and likes to practice firing his gun at night.

3. What else do they want from her?
(a) A key to the treasure.
(b) A cup of tea.
(c) Some bread rolls.
(d) Her hand in marriage.

4. What is the first story about?
(a) A little boy who is dared by some other boys to knock on the door of a strange playhouse. The playhouse traps the other boys and they are never seen again.
(b) A chef who changes a customer's order to suit the wine, but the customer ends up having an allergy to the food.
(c) A woman who falls in love with a man at an airport by looking at the x-ray of his luggage.
(d) A boy who plays a cello very badly, and one day manages to inexplicably play fantastic music on it, but breaks it the next day and can never play it properly again.

5. What does the old man tell Amelia she will find in the house?
(a) A lost treasure.
(b) Her inheritance.
(c) Her future husband.
(d) Death.

Short Answer Questions

1. In New Orleans, who does the narrator and another professor meet in a bar?

2. Who is trying to attack Amelia as she hides in the woodcutter's cottage?

3. Who is Mr. Alice?

4. What is this person traveling to present a paper on?

5. Why does the narrator's passenger ask him to go back to the hotel?

Short Essay Questions

1. In the last story in 'Strange Little Girls,' two alternate stories are offered about a woman who lived during the war. Which one offers the happier ending?

2. Is Amelia a sympathetic character?

3. How do the characteristics and personalities of the months in the story 'October in the Chair' reflect the different months of the year?

4. In 'Bitter Grounds' why does the man become a demon?

5. Why do you think the double bass allows him to play beautiful music this one time?

6. Describe the character of Mr. Alice.

7. In what ways could 'Good Boys Deserve Favors' be considered a coming of age story?

8. Why do you think the narrator gives up his old life, and why does he pretend to be the professor?

9. Describe the character of the detective in 'A Study in Emerald.'

10. What do the characters in 'Strange Little Girls' have in common?

(see the answer keys)

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