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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 Mr. Coulson asks for his "aconite," what is he asking for (333)?
2. Where does Miss Coulson meet the iceman on the next morning?
3. What is Mrs. Widdup's job?
4. When Mr. Coulson complains about the cold, what is his servant's response?
5. How many years apart are Miss Coulson's and Mrs. Widdup's ages?
Short Essay Questions
1. What is the thematic significance of the olfactory image of the city in springtime?
2. 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?
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 rhetorical purpose of the allusions to Puck and Circe?
5. 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?
6. Explain the titular allusion and the allusion to "the poet" in the first sentence of the story.
7. How does O. Henry use dry humor to reveal the narrator's opinion about Mrs. Widdup in the narrative intrusion on page 333?
8. How does O. Henry use verbal misunderstandings to characterize Mrs. Widdup when she first appears in Mr. Coulson's room?
9. Explain the technique at work in the sentences "Sparrows wrangled happily everywhere outdoors. Never trust May" (333).
10. What is the significance of the sound of the overturned chair after Mr. Coulson confesses his feelings to Mrs. Widdup?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
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 2
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.
Essay Topic 3
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.
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This section contains 1,092 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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