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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 detail is included to show that Miss Chandler is upset about something?
(a) She has clearly been crying.
(b) She looks as if she has not slept well.
(c) She seems distracted and is a little rude.
(d) Her hair does not look as neat as usual.

2. Miss Strangeworth thinks that children mocking her would be "reprehensible" (426). What would their mocking be, in her opinion?
(a) Predictable.
(b) Embarrassing to a social superior.
(c) Deserving of strong criticism or blame.
(d) Puzzling.

3. What business did Miss Strangeworth's grandfather run?
(a) A tailor shop.
(b) A shipping company.
(c) A dairy farm.
(d) A lumber mill.

4. What do people in town assume it means when someone writes on blue paper?
(a) They are almost out of paper.
(b) They are trying to show off.
(c) They could not afford the more expensive cream-colored paper.
(d) They are irritated at the person they are writing to.

5. When Miss Strangeworth discovers how much trouble she has caused for Linda and Dave, what does she think about it?
(a) She feels guilty and ashamed.
(b) She wonders if it can really be true that her letter has had such serious consequences.
(c) She thinks about how even in a small town, there are many evil people.
(d) She is delighted to know how much pain she has caused.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to Miss Strangeworth, to whom should Helen apologize?

2. Miss Strangeworth thinks that people everywhere are "degraded" (425). What does this mean that she thinks about people?

3. Who planted the roses outside Miss Strangeworth's house?

4. How old is Miss Strangeworth?

5. What does Miss Strangeworth seem to think her family's place in the world is?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Linda Stewart, and why has she been so upset?

2. What does the green letter at the end of the story say, and what does it imply?

3. Describe the setting of the story "The Possibility of Evil."

4. What details does Jackson provide about the interior of Miss Strangeworth's house to show the pride the family has always taken in the house?

5. What evidence is there in the story that Miss Strangeworth is well-known and respected in the town?

6. What is ironic about Miss Strangeworth's criticisms of Helen and Don Crane's parenting?

7. What is ironic about Dave Harris being the one to find and deliver Miss Strangeworth's dropped letter?

8. Describe the exterior of Miss Strangeworth's house.

9. What is ironic about Miss Strangeworth's thoughts as she notices that various townspeople seem distressed?

10. What does Miss Strangeworth write to Mrs. Foster about her upcoming surgery, and what is she implying?

(see the answer keys)

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