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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 are the first two ghost stories unsatisfying?

2. What do the boys dare the narrator to do?

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

4. When they get to the circus, why is Miss Finch unimpressed?

5. What does the narrator do when he finds the men who may have been his father?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does the poet cast aside all his possessions and his old life in the poem 'Going Wodwo'?

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

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

4. Describe the character of Mr. Alice.

5. What do you think the three older boys in the ghost story are?

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

7. Describe how the detective solves the mystery in 'A Study in Emerald.'

8. Describe the things that happen to the character Amelia Earnshawe in 'Forbidden Brides...'

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

10. Is there a 'bad guy' in the story 'A Study in Emerald'?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How many of the stories and poems in this collection are horror stories? Why do you consider them to be horror stories? How has the author used language, structure, pace, and symbolism to create a scary or creepy atmosphere? Are these conventional horror stories or something a bit different?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss characterization in two of the stories or poems in the collection. How has the author communicated what the characters are like, and how does he create sympathy for them? Do the characters act consistently? Do they seem like real people?

Essay Topic 3

What is the purpose and worth of fiction? Why are stories important? Discuss how the author deals with these questions in his stories and poems.

(see the answer keys)

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