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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. There are "jonquils" near where Mr. Coulson is sitting. What are jonquils?
2. Which bird is Mr. Coulson said to be "elder brother" to in May?
3. What is clear in the first interaction between Mr. Coulson, Miss Coulson, and Mrs. Widdup?
4. What is Mrs. Widdup's job?
5. After the iceman tells Miss Coulson, "It'll be a pleasure to fix things up for you any way you please," the narrator comments "Alas for May" (334). What is implied by this comment?
Short Essay Questions
1. Explain the technique at work in the sentences "Sparrows wrangled happily everywhere outdoors. Never trust May" (333).
2. Explain the significance of the diction "foxy" to describe Mrs. Widdup (333).
3. How does O. Henry use verbal misunderstandings to characterize Mrs. Widdup when she first appears in Mr. Coulson's room?
4. 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?
5. 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).
6. How does O. Henry characterize the month of May?
7. What is the rhetorical purpose of the allusions to Puck and Circe?
8. 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?
9. 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?
10. How does O. Henry use dry humor to reveal the narrator's opinion about Mrs. Widdup in the narrative intrusion on page 333?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Write an essay that affirms, refutes, or qualifies the statement "The twist ending in "The Marry Month of May" is an 'unearned' twist, because it is not plausible given the story that leads up to it." Use textual evidence to support your claim.
Essay Topic 2
Make and defend a claim about the purpose of O. Henry's allusions in "The Marry Month of May." Use both paraphrased and quoted textual evidence to support your claim.
Essay Topic 3
Write an essay that makes and defends a thesis about the significance of social class in "The Marry Month of May." Be sure to offer textual support for your claims.
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This section contains 1,133 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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