View a FREE sample

This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is ironic about the future that the story implies Enid is heading for?
(a) Her mother has always known her better than she knows herself.
(b) She has learned an important lesson about life through someone else's death.
(c) She has secretly loved Rupert since she was a young girl.
(d) She will end up breaking the promise that she made to her mother.

2. When Olive Green sends the girls outside to her husband's truck, what do the girls seem most focused on?
(a) Dread about going to stay with their aunt.
(b) Confusion about where their father is.
(c) Sorrow at leaving Enid.
(d) Excitement over the Greens' dog.

3. What does Enid like to do to relax after work?
(a) Complete crossword puzzles.
(b) Write in her notebook.
(c) Have a drink.
(d) Listen to the radio.

4. On page 44, what does Enid's mother compare Enid to?
(a) A politician.
(b) A saint.
(c) A nun.
(d) A soldier.

5. What is Enid doing when Rupert comes into the house to find it lit by candlelight?
(a) Reorganizing the kitchen.
(b) Making Mrs. Quinn an eggnog.
(c) Making Rupert some dinner.
(d) Writing in her notebook.

6. On the day of the funeral, what has Enid brought along to the Quinn house in her purse?
(a) A camera.
(b) A letter.
(c) A gun.
(d) A pack of cigarettes.

7. What crop is Rupert trying to harvest and store in June?
(a) Hay.
(b) Barley.
(c) Corn.
(d) Wheat.

8. In Enid's imagination, what will happen if Rupert agrees to confess?
(a) She will help Rupert and stand by his side.
(b) Mrs. Willens will be shocked and upset, but eventually she will be grateful.
(c) People in town will think that she is a hero.
(d) Her mother will finally be impressed by something she has accomplished.

9. What does Enid realize that her patients and others might think about her?
(a) That she is only pretending to care about them to make herself look good.
(b) That she is probably lonely and frustrated without a man.
(c) That she is a fool for trying so hard to be good and help others.
(d) That she has wasted her life because she has no children.

10. What is Rupert supposed to be doing on the day that the murder occurs?
(a) Buying cattle.
(b) Cutting wood.
(c) Plowing a field.
(d) Running errands in town.

11. Where is Rupert going when he tells Enid he will be away for a couple of days?
(a) To help his brother bring in his crops.
(b) To visit his mother, who is also ill.
(c) To buy next year's seed.
(d) To a stock auction.

12. Why does Rupert think of taking Mr. Willens to Jutland?
(a) It is a common place for people to have accidents.
(b) It will look like he got turned around in the dark and accidentally drove into the water.
(c) It will give people the impression that he was headed out of town.
(d) It is remote enough to delay the discovery of the body.

13. What does Enid remember telling her mother about that her mother later convinced her was just a dream?
(a) A sparrow coming into her room and perching on her mirror.
(b) A woman sitting on her father's lap.
(c) Falling out of a boat and nearly drowning.
(d) Having a pet cat that disappeared.

14. When Enid gets up in the middle of the night to work, she thinks that it is the best way to be "penitent" (52). What does this mean she is trying to do?
(a) Stay organized.
(b) Keep herself humble.
(c) Keep herself busy and distracted.
(d) Show she is sorry.

15. Why does the teacher bring Lois and Sylvie home from school?
(a) The bus has broken down.
(b) School let out earlier than usual.
(c) They live too far to walk.
(d) It looks like rain.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is implied in the sentence, "The next day Mrs. Quinn's strength came flooding back, in that unnatural and deceptive way that Enid had seen once or twice in others" (56)?

2. When Enid returns to the Quinn house on the day of the funeral, what does she initially say is the purpose of her visit?

3. What does Rupert spend some time looking for before he and Enid start for the river?

4. When Mrs. Quinn stares at Enid as if she wants to talk, what does Enid ask her?

5. Instead of going in to Mrs. Quinn right away on the morning after Mrs. Quinn's confession, where does Enid go?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 840 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample