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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

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

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

3. According to the narrator, what does May want humans to remember?
(a) That they are also animals.
(b) That they are not immortal.
(c) That they should be kind to one another.
(d) That they should be grateful for the coming summer.

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

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the implication of the passage "She blushed. Oh, yes, it can be done. Just hold your breath and compress the diaphragm" (333)?

2. Which of the following literary techniques is used in the title "The Marry Month of May"?

3. What point is made through the juxtaposition of Mr. Coulson's and Mrs. Widdup's comments about springtime?

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

5. What is Mrs. Widdup's job?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens overnight that changes Mrs. Widdup and Mr. Coulson's fate?

2. What rhetorical purposes does O. Henry accomplish with his introduction of Mr. Coulson through a list of things that he "has," like gout, money, and a daughter?

3. When Mr. Coulson complains that no one in the house cares if he lives or dies, how does Mrs. Widdup's reply set the events of the story in motion?

4. How does O. Henry use verbal misunderstandings to characterize Mrs. Widdup when she first appears in Mr. Coulson's room?

5. What is the significance of the sound of the overturned chair after Mr. Coulson confesses his feelings to Mrs. Widdup?

6. How does O. Henry characterize the month of May?

7. Explain the significance of the diction "foxy" to describe Mrs. Widdup (333).

8. Explain the titular allusion and the allusion to "the poet" in the first sentence of the story.

9. What is Miss Coulson's plan to head off her father's budding romance?

10. When Mr. Coulson finally confesses his feelings to Mrs. Widdup, what drawback to himself does he acknowledge, and what advantage does he say balances this drawback out?

(see the answer keys)

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