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

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

3. What is clear in the first interaction between Mr. Coulson, Miss Coulson, and Mrs. Widdup?
(a) Miss Coulson has no idea that Mr. Coulson has romantic intentions toward Mrs. Widdup.
(b) Mrs. Widdup is much more intelligent than she seems at first.
(c) Mr. Coulson is used to having to trick Miss Coulson in order to get his way.
(d) Both Mr. Coulson and Mrs. Widdup are aware that Miss Coulson will disapprove of them having a relationship.

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

5. Which neighborhood does Mr. Coulson live in?
(a) Gramercy Park.
(b) Lincoln Square.
(c) Chelsea.
(d) Carnegie Hill.

Short Answer Questions

1. How many years apart are Miss Coulson's and Mrs. Widdup's ages?

2. 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?

3. Who is Miss Van Meeker Constantia Coulson?

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

5. When Miss Coulson stands thinking at the window, to what insects does she mentally compare Mr. Coulson and Mrs. Widdup?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the thematic significance of the olfactory image of the city in springtime?

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

3. 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?

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

5. When Mr. Coulson comments that the spring weather is "lovely," his daughter replies "That's just it" (334). What does she mean by her reply?

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

7. When Miss Coulson says that the supposedly chilly weather is "An instance...of winter lingering in the lap of spring," what double meaning does she have in mind? (335).

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

9. 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?

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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