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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. What is implied by Mr. Coulson's mention of Palm Beach?
(a) He spends the winter in Palm Beach.
(b) He dislikes New York.
(c) He misses his friends in Palm Beach.
(d) He does not want Mrs. Widdup to go away on vacation.

3. 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.

4. When Mr. Coulson continues quoting the poem and mentions "a livelier iris," what does Mrs. Widdup think he is talking about? (333)
(a) The Irish.
(b) A bird.
(c) Eyes.
(d) Flowers.

5. What is comic about the turn of phrase "she withstood the attack of the ethereal mildness" (334)?
(a) The idea that "mildness" could be "ethereal."
(b) The contradiction in the terms "attack" and "ethereal mildness."
(c) The understatement of the danger.
(d) The surprise ending to a well-known phrase.

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

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

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

9. Which bird is Mr. Coulson said to be "elder brother" to in May?
(a) Robin.
(b) Pigeon.
(c) Chickadee.
(d) Turtle-dove.

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

11. 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.

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

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

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

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Where Mr. Coulson is sitting, two main smells are "battling": the smell of flowers and what other smell?

2. What is implied by the number of days for which Miss Coulson orders extra ice?

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

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

5. What claim is the narrator making by calling humans "lineal scions of the pansy" (332)?

(see the answer keys)

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