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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. 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?

2. On the final morning of the story, what causes Mr. Coulson's mood to change?

3. With which motif is Miss Coulson most identified?

4. What is implied by Mr. Coulson's mention of Palm Beach?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What is the rhetorical purpose of the allusions to Puck and Circe?

4. 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?

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

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

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

8. 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?

9. When rhetorical purposes are served by the passage where the narrator says that the scent of flowers was carried in through the window and "fought" with the scent of Mr. Coulson's gout medicine?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Write an essay in which you analyze the characterization of Mr. Coulson and make a claim about its significance in the story. Use textual evidence to support your claim.

Essay Topic 3

Make and defend a claim about O. Henry's "The Marry Month of May" as an example of American Naturalism. Support your ideas with evidence from the text; if you use outside sources, be sure to cite them in MLA format.

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