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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 seems distracted and is a little rude.
(b) She has clearly been crying.
(c) Her hair does not look as neat as usual.
(d) She looks as if she has not slept well.

2. Why does Linda Stewart refuse to tell Dave Harris what was in the letter to her parents?
(a) She is embarrassed and horrified about what it said.
(b) She knows that he will become very angry if she tells him what is being said about him.
(c) She is worried that part of the letter might be true.
(d) She is afraid that Dave will end their relationship if he knows the truth.

3. Why did Miss Strangeworth stop calling Tommy Lewis "Tommy" and start calling him "Mr. Lewis"?
(a) He asked her to marry him and then broke off their engagement.
(b) She thinks that his status as a grocer is beneath her.
(c) They had a terrible fight in high school.
(d) It was not usual for adults in this time to use one another's first names.

4. Miss Strangeworth thinks that people everywhere are "degraded" (425). What does this mean that she thinks about people?
(a) They can be ranked according to how good or bad they are.
(b) They are easily led into evil actions.
(c) They try to sneak around and do bad things without getting caught.
(d) They have fallen below the standards of moral, civilized life.

5. For how many years has Miss Strangeworth been writing her anonymous letters?
(a) 14.
(b) 10.
(c) 4.
(d) 1.

Short Answer Questions

1. What word is repeatedly used to describe the day on which the story opens?

2. What does Helen Crane say she is worried that her daughter should be doing more?

3. Who is Ethan Allen?

4. What literary technique is used when Miss Strangeworth asks Helen if she has upset her husband by pointing out that the baby is " six months old and hasn't yet begun to learn to dance"?

5. Why does Miss Strangeworth think that she has a right to eavesdrop on Linda Stewart at the post office?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. Describe Miss Strangeworth's relationship with Tommy Lewis.

4. What details in the story let the reader know that Miss Strangeworth herself does not believe some of the accusations she is making?

5. 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?

6. Which writing utensils does Miss Strangeworth have available, and which one does she choose for her anonymous notes?

7. Describe the main character of "The Possibility of Evil."

8. What worry does Helen Crane express about her baby daughter, and how does Miss Strangeworth respond to her concerns?

9. Explain how Miss Strangeworth's need to do things perfectly is shown in how she writes her letters.

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

(see the answer keys)

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