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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What are the "portières" that Miss Coulson is sitting near?
(a) Wall hangings.
(b) Hanging lamps.
(c) Window shutters.
(d) Curtains hung in the doorway.

2. How many years apart are Miss Coulson's and Mrs. Widdup's ages?
(a) 5.
(b) 10.
(c) They are the same age.
(d) 15.

3. Who is Miss Van Meeker Constantia Coulson?
(a) Mr. Coulson's daughter.
(b) Mr. Coulson's aunt.
(c) Mr. Coulson's granddaughter.
(d) Mr. Coulson's sister.

4. What claim is the narrator making by calling humans "lineal scions of the pansy" (332)?
(a) Pansies are more like humans than most people realize.
(b) Humans are the servants of nature.
(c) Humans and flowers are related through evolution.
(d) Plants and animals are just as valuable as humans.

5. How old is Mrs. Widdup?
(a) 30.
(b) 40.
(c) 49.
(d) 35.

6. With which motif is Miss Coulson most identified?
(a) May.
(b) Flowers.
(c) Wealth.
(d) Ice.

7. On the final morning of the story, what causes Mr. Coulson's mood to change?
(a) Mrs. Widdup has threatened to quit.
(b) He is in much less pain than usual.
(c) It is warm again and the windows are open.
(d) Miss Coulson has told him that he is behaving badly.

8. How much ice does Miss Coulson order be delivered each day?
(a) 2,000 pounds.
(b) 500 pounds.
(c) 1,000 pounds.
(d) 250 pounds.

9. When Mr. Coulson asks for his "aconite," what is he asking for (333)?
(a) A hot breakfast cereal, like porridge or gruel.
(b) A wooden cane with a carved top.
(c) A religious text that provides commentary on the Bible.
(d) An herbal medicine used to treat pain and inflammation.

10. 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) Most people blush on purpose.
(c) Mrs. Widdup may be faking her reaction to Mr. Coulson.
(d) Blushing happens when the diaphragm is contracted too forcefully.

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

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

13. What does the narrator warn the reader to "never trust" (333)?
(a) Hyacinths.
(b) May.
(c) Warm breezes.
(d) Sparrows.

14. When Mr. Coulson is irritated, he complains that no one in the house does what?
(a) Responds when he rings for a servant.
(b) Cares if he lives or dies.
(c) Attempts to entertain him.
(d) Listens to him when he speaks.

15. 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) Lower-class college-aged women.
(b) Schoolgirls.
(c) Female college professors.
(d) Young women training to become school teachers.

Short Answer Questions

1. What illness does Mr. Coulson suffer from?

2. Miss Coulson has a "lorgnette" (334). What is a lorgnette?

3. When the author compares May to Circe and explains the comparison at length, what literary technique is he using?

4. What is the "twist" at the end of this story?

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

(see the answer keys)

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