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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What information does Mrs. Widdup give Mr. Coulson that contradicts what Miss Coulson told him earlier?
(a) She tells him that Miss Coulson is upstairs sleeping.
(b) She tells him that his manservant has gone to the post office.
(c) She tells him that it is warm outside.
(d) She tells him that Miss Coulson has had a very large ice order delivered.

2. What is the implication of the passage "She blushed. Oh, yes, it can be done. Just hold your breath and compress the diaphragm" (333)?
(a) In her excitement, Mrs. Widdup can barely breathe.
(b) Blushing happens when the diaphragm is contracted too forcefully.
(c) Mrs. Widdup may be faking her reaction to Mr. Coulson.
(d) Most people blush on purpose.

3. How does Miss Coulson spend the afternoon after her conversation with her father about the cold?
(a) She takes a long nap.
(b) She reads a romance book.
(c) She works in the garden.
(d) She goes shopping.

4. 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.

5. Who is the author of "The Marry Month of May"?
(a) Willa Cather.
(b) Edith Wharton.
(c) Henry James.
(d) O. Henry.

6. What does Mr. Coulson call Mrs. Widdup when she starts talking about "ivy and hand-organs" (335)?
(a) Insane.
(b) A fool.
(c) A romantic.
(d) "My dear."

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

8. What is the "twist" at the end of this story?
(a) Mrs. Widdup turns out to be wealthy, herself.
(b) Mrs. Widdup's husband is still alive.
(c) Miss Coulson runs away with the iceman.
(d) Mr. Coulson never had any romantic intentions toward Mrs. Widdup at all.

9. When Mr. Coulson complains about the cold, what is his servant's response?
(a) He laughs.
(b) He shuts the windows.
(c) He offers to investigate the problem.
(d) He calls for Mrs. Widdup.

10. What is implied by the number of days for which Miss Coulson orders extra ice?
(a) She thinks that the flowers will be done blooming in five days.
(b) She thinks that she will need five days to get to know the iceman better.
(c) She knows that after five days Mr. Coulson will be too irritated to talk to Mrs. Widdup at all.
(d) She wants the deliveries to last until Mrs. Widdup leaves for vacation.

11. Why does Mr. Coulson tell his servant to "bring an axe" (335)?
(a) He wants to cut down the flowers.
(b) He wants to break up the ice.
(c) He is threatening to kill the servant.
(d) He is joking about killing himself.

12. When the narrator lists the kinds of inappropriate relationships that May encourages, one of the items in the list is "old chaps" who dress up and "parade in front of the Normal School" (332). Who are these old men trying to impress with their fancy clothing?
(a) Female college professors.
(b) Young women training to become school teachers.
(c) Lower-class college-aged women.
(d) Schoolgirls.

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

14. What kind of clam is a "chowder-doomed clam" (332)?
(a) One that is personified as feeling worried.
(b) One that is confused by its surroundings.
(c) One that is destined to be eaten in soup.
(d) One that is poisonous to humans.

15. There are "jonquils" near where Mr. Coulson is sitting. What are jonquils?
(a) They are thick woolen blankets.
(b) They are a small sparrow-like bird.
(c) They are a kind of daffodil, a flower.
(d) They are decorative figures common in early 20th century homes.

Short Answer Questions

1. When Mr. Coulson continues quoting the poem and mentions "a livelier iris," what does Mrs. Widdup think he is talking about? (333)

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

3. Which bird is Mr. Coulson said to be "elder brother" to in May?

4. How much ice does Miss Coulson order be delivered each day?

5. According to the narrator, what does May want humans to remember?

(see the answer keys)

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