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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 information does Mrs. Widdup give Mr. Coulson that contradicts what Miss Coulson told him earlier?
(a) She tells him that his manservant has gone to the post office.
(b) She tells him that Miss Coulson is upstairs sleeping.
(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. Who is Miss Van Meeker Constantia Coulson?
(a) Mr. Coulson's daughter.
(b) Mr. Coulson's sister.
(c) Mr. Coulson's granddaughter.
(d) Mr. Coulson's aunt.

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

4. What does the narrator call the "most potent weapons of insidious May" (334)?
(a) Birds.
(b) Sunny days.
(c) Flowers.
(d) Warm breezes.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. The story opens with the word "prithee" (332). What does this word mean in this context?

2. When "May holds up a chiding finger," (332), what is May's intention?

3. What kind of clam is a "chowder-doomed clam" (332)?

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

5. With which motif is Miss Coulson most identified?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. In the passage where Miss Coulson stares out the window, the reader is told "The chirp of the sparrows gave her a pain. She mocked at May" (334). To what earlier passage is this a reference, and what is the significance of the reference?

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

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

5. Explain the technique at work in the sentences "Sparrows wrangled happily everywhere outdoors. Never trust May" (333).

6. 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?

7. 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?

8. What happens when Mrs. Widdup makes an excuse to go into Mr. Coulson's room to speak with him after the ice is delivered?

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

10. How does O. Henry use dry humor to reveal the narrator's opinion about Mrs. Widdup in the narrative intrusion on page 333?

(see the answer keys)

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