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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. In Section 2, what happens when Father returns to the house?

2. Where does Sammy go before Father can assign more chores?

3. Once the children leave the house, what does Mother do?

4. What is the second thing Mother asks of Father once the bantering is over?

5. From the introduction, what does the reader know about how the secondary characters are going to be affected?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the scene when the minister arrives to speak to Mother.

2. What occurs with the townspeople the day after the move?

3. What is the scene as Mother asks Sammy about his knowledge of plans for the new barn? Explain what Sammy knows.

4. Why or why not do you think that Father finds Mother's decision acceptable?

5. What does Mother say to Sammy and Nanny after the hay cart arrives and she is back in the house?

6. What does Mother do following Father's return home to let him know that this is how things are going to be from now on?

7. Why does Mother think she has a right to be disturbed about Father's building another barn?

8. Explain what Mother does as Father leaves on his trip.

9. Why is the decision that Mother makes during Father's absence so shocking in the context of this story?

10. What is the minister's reaction to his conversation with Mother?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

This short story was certain to have caused a stir when it was written and first read. Do you think it is a significant enough piece of literature to make an impact on how women were viewed during the time in which it was written?

Essay Topic 2

Of the four main characters (Father, Mother, Nanny, and Sammy), pick one, and explain her or his struggle with social convention during this time. Does the character fight the convention or succumb to it? What is the motivation for this character to follow social convention? Is the motivation purely to go along with what everyone else is doing, or is there some other reason given in the story that provides motivation to make the choices the character does?

Essay Topic 3

The author uses several elements of foreshadowing throughout the story. Choose one, and describe why it is effective in telling the story.

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