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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. According to the landlady, how had she been feeling prior to Billy's arrival?

2. By comparing the tray to a frisky horse, the narrator is using what literary device?

3. According to the landlady, why do so few people stay at the bed and breakfast?

4. According to the landlady, how much does the bed and breakfast cost per day?

5. What does Billy think about the landlady as she is showing him around the bed and breakfast?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Billy think about the landlady after he has been speaking with her for a few minutes? Why does he dismiss this concern?

2. How much does it cost to stay at the bed and breakfast? What does Billy think of the price?

3. According to the landlady immediately after she welcomes Billy inside, how many people are staying at the bed and breakfast?

4. According to Billy, where did he see the names of the previous guests? What does he believe about the two men?

5. When the landlady comes into the sitting room, what is odd about the manner in which she is carrying the object? What might the narrator be trying to tell the reader?

6. According to Billy, how does the landlady smell? Of what does the smell remind him?

7. According to the landlady, why does she always keep a room ready?

8. According to Billy, what is odd about the dates of the previous entries in the guestbook?

9. According to the landlady, who stays on the first and second floors?

10. As Billy waits in the sitting room for the landlady, how does he consider his surroundings? How does he consider himself?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the message in “The Landlady”? What point do you think the author might be trying to convey to readers?

Essay Topic 2

Although Mulholland and Temple are not literally present in the story, they both play an important role. Discuss the role Mulholland and Temple play regarding the story’s plot and themes.

Essay Topic 3

Analyze how the story’s setting influences the story’s plot, characters, and themes.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 678 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample