View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Miss Coulson has a "lorgnette" (334). What is a lorgnette?
(a) A piece of jewelry used to hold a scarf or shawl closed.
(b) A high-necked, long-sleeved sweater.
(c) A round, flat case designed to hold medications or tobacco.
(d) Glasses that have a handle instead of ear-pieces.

2. What physical gesture of affection does Mr. Coulson make toward Mrs. Widdup?
(a) He holds her hand.
(b) He touches her arm.
(c) He kisses her.
(d) He strokes her hair.

3. Whom does the narrator refer to as "the venerable and scarcely suspecting victim of May" (334)?
(a) Mrs. Widdup.
(b) Miss Coulson.
(c) Mr. Coulson.
(d) The iceman.

4. 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) An herbal medicine used to treat pain and inflammation.
(d) A religious text that provides commentary on the Bible.

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

6. Why is Mr. Coulson so clumsy on the afternoon after the ice is delivered?
(a) He is upset because of the cold.
(b) He is angry at Miss Coulson's meddling.
(c) He is nervous about speaking to Mrs. Widdup.
(d) He is frustrated that he has not yet been able to confess his feelings to Mrs. Widdup.

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

8. 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) Most people blush on purpose.
(b) Mrs. Widdup may be faking her reaction to Mr. Coulson.
(c) Blushing happens when the diaphragm is contracted too forcefully.
(d) In her excitement, Mrs. Widdup can barely breathe.

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

10. When Miss Coulson stands thinking at the window, to what insects does she mentally compare Mr. Coulson and Mrs. Widdup?
(a) Fleas.
(b) Cockroaches.
(c) Mosquitoes.
(d) Mayflies.

11. What is the name of the servant who usually gives Mr. Coulson his medication?
(a) Higgins.
(b) Treadwell.
(c) Foster.
(d) Marley.

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

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

14. What does Miss Coulson's believe about love?
(a) That it is inconvenient.
(b) That it is a pretense.
(c) That it is humiliating.
(d) That it is overpowering.

15. What is Mrs. Widdup's job?
(a) Cook.
(b) Housekeeper.
(c) Parlor maid.
(d) Nurse.

Short Answer Questions

1. When Mr. Coulson is irritated, he complains that no one in the house does what?

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

3. How does the narrator suggest the reader should respond to the poet who praises the month of May?

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

5. The narrator says,"Pixies and flibbertigibbits haunt the budding woods" (332). What is in the woods?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 641 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample