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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. How does the detective know that the narrator was in Afghanistan?

2. Who suddenly turns up in the young writer's house?

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

4. When they find a beautiful garden with a stream that looks like a fairy grotto, what does one of the boys do?

5. In October's story, who first nicknames the boy Runt, and why?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the character of Mr. Alice.

2. Is Amelia a sympathetic character?

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

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

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

6. In your opinion, what was Miss Finch's wish? Was it granted by the cabinet?

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

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

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

10. Why does the writer in 'Forbidden Brides...' enjoy writing about Amelia making toast?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What kinds of fragile things can be found in the stories and poems in this collection? What do they symbolize or represent? Why are they fragile, and how has the author communicated this sense of fragility?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss lessons in the stories and poems in this collection. Which poems and stories contain a moral? What kinds of morals or lessons are taught, and are they repeated in different stories? Do you think this is the author's own view?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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