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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. Why does Miss Strangeworth feel so certain that the children in front of the post office will be respectful toward her?

2. When Miss Strangeworth discovers how much trouble she has caused for Linda and Dave, what does she think about it?

3. What is the longest time that Miss Strangeworth has been away from her town?

4. When Linda and Dave are seen together after school, they look "bleak" (422). How do they look?

5. Why does Linda Stewart refuse to tell Dave Harris what was in the letter to her parents?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

6. What does Miss Strangeworth write to Mrs. Harper, and what is she implying?

7. To whom do the townspeople want to dedicate a statue, and why does Miss Strangeworth say that it should be a statue of her grandfather, instead?

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

"The Possibility of Evil" is studded with words like "graceful" and "dainty." Write an essay that explores the significance of this aspect of the story's diction. Support your claims with direct quotations from the story.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay in which you explain why the events in the story's final few pages--the events that lead to Miss Strangeworth's downfall--are ironic. Use textual evidence to support your claims.

Essay Topic 3

Once the reader is aware of the story's "twist," many of the lines in the story take on a double meaning. Write an essay that explores these double meanings and the new dimension they contribute to a repeat reading of "The Possibility of Evil." Support your claims with direct quotations from the story.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,121 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample