View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Fill in the blank: It goes behind every piece of furniture, except the bed, a long, straight, even ________, as if it had been rubbed over and over.

2. Where does John go toward the end of the story?

3. Whose perspective is the story being told from?

4. What does the narrator believe cultivates deceit?

5. Who does the narrator say is her one comfort?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why doesn’t the narrator cry in front of Jennie or John?

2. Why have the narrator and her husband rented the summer house?

3. What are some indications that the narrator is, in fact, not getting better?

4. How does the narrator think the “smooch” on the wall was created?

5. What does the narrator say “exhausts” her?

6. What major life event has the narrator just endured?

7. Why doesn’t the narrator want to go outside near the climax of the story?

8. What is suggested by the narrator’s multiple descriptions of the wallpaper?

9. What description is horrifying about the wallpaper?

10. What is suggested by the narrator’s concern for her reputation?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why does the narrator remain unnamed in the story? What does this symbolize?

Essay Topic 2

Throughout the story, John’s names for the narrator become more and more patronizing and child-like. Was the narrator becoming more childlike in her actions, or was John just being patronizing? What effect does this have on the narrator?

Essay Topic 3

The narrator states that she will not jump out of the window lest it be misconstrued. Why is she more concerned about her reputation rather than the fact that if she jumped out the window she would be severely injured or killed? What does this suggest?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 580 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample