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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Section 1: "The Marry Month of May".

Multiple Choice Questions

1. When the author compares May to Circe and explains the comparison at length, what literary technique is he using?
(a) Synechdoche.
(b) Hyperbole.
(c) Anaphora.
(d) Conceit.

2. Where does Miss Coulson meet the iceman on the next morning?
(a) In the vacant lot next door.
(b) In the basement.
(c) In the kitchen.
(d) In the park across from the house.

3. What is the purpose of the allusion to the "virgin of Cologne" (334)?
(a) It characterizes Miss Coulson as cruel and selfish.
(b) It foreshadows later plot events.
(c) It reminds the reader that Miss Coulson is very religious.
(d) It implies that Miss Coulson is uninterested in romantic love.

4. Why does Miss Coulson ask when Mrs. Widdup's vacation begins?
(a) She is wondering if Mr. Coulson will try to go away with Mrs. Widdup.
(b) She will need to make arrangements for Mr. Coulson's care.
(c) She is eager to get Mrs. Widdup away from Mr. Coulson.
(d) She is hoping to get away from the house for a while, herself.

5. Why does Mrs. Widdup go into Mr. Coulson's room in the afternoon on the second day of the story?
(a) She wants him to finish what he was going to say on the day before.
(b) She needs to tell him that everyone else has left the house.
(c) She hears him ring for help.
(d) She is concerned that he is all by himself.

Short Answer Questions

1. Mrs. Widdup is described as "comely" (333). What does this mean is true about her?

2. Who is Miss Van Meeker Constantia Coulson?

3. What is clear in the first interaction between Mr. Coulson, Miss Coulson, and Mrs. Widdup?

4. What does the narrator call the "most potent weapons of insidious May" (334)?

5. What is implied about Miss Coulson when she looks at the flowers "with the eye of a botanist" (334)?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 393 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample