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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. Miss Strangeworth thinks that children mocking her would be "reprehensible" (426). What would their mocking be, in her opinion?

2. Who is the author of "The Possibility of Evil"?

3. What is implied about Miss Strangeworth's choice of the multicolored paper for her notes?

4. What is the purpose of including the details about how many people Miss Strangeworth talks to on her trip to the grocery store?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. Describe Miss Strangeworth's feelings about her roses.

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

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

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

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

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. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay that makes and defends a claim about the significance of Miss Strangeworth being the last of the Strangeworths. Support your claims with evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 2

"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 3

Look up the psychological concept of "projection." Then, write an essay that affirms, refutes, or qualifies the following claim: "The Possibility of Evil" is at its heart a story about the consequences of projection. Support your claims with both textual evidence and evidence from reliable outside sources; cite all sources in MLA format.

(see the answer keys)

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