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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 does Ned's motive seem to be when he first brings up the subject of whether the house has a ghost?
(a) He thinks that living in a "haunted" house will add to his reputation as a writer.
(b) He is looking for an excuse to back out of buying the house.
(c) He is joking about how old the house is.
(d) He is trying to frighten Mary.

2. When the story opens, in which room of her house is Mary waiting?
(a) Her bedroom.
(b) The dining room.
(c) The library.
(d) The front parlor.

3. When Ned is still gone by the time Mary finishes lunch, where does she decide he must be?
(a) She decides that he must have gone into town to run an errand.
(b) She decides that he must have gone for his afternoon walk a little early.
(c) She decides that he has finally left her.
(d) She decides that he must have walked the visitor back to the train station.

4. When the story refers to "Boyne," who or what is being referred to?
(a) Ned.
(b) Mary.
(c) Ned's father.
(d) The house.

5. What event causes Mary to temporarily forget about the mysterious man they saw in October?
(a) She and Ned climb Meldon Steep.
(b) One of the housemaids quits.
(c) The greenhouse boiler breaks.
(d) She receives a letter from Alida Stair.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Mary's mind, what is the only possible source of information about what has happened to Ned?

2. When Ned speeds off to talk with the mysterious visitor on that day in October, why does it take Mary so long to follow?

3. When Mary, startled by the envelope's contents, cries out and rises to her feet, how does Ned react?

4. As Mary thinks back over the events of October, she sees a figure coming toward the house again. Who is it?

5. When Mary finally catches up with Ned on that October day, what is he doing?

Short Essay Questions

1. What draws the Boynes to England?

2. On the day of his disappearance, what is so frustrating for Mary about her conversation with her staff about where Ned is?

3. In the beginning of section "IV," how much time has elapsed since Ned's disappearance, and what has been happening in that time?

4. What strange conclusion does Mary come to about the relationship of the ghost to the house, Lyng?

5. What happens with the mysterious visitor on the day that Ned disappears?

6. After she finds out that he has gone out with the mysterious man and not yet returned, why is Mary immediately alarmed?

7. Why does Parvis come to see Mary near the end of the story?

8. What do the Boynes tell Alida Stair about why Lyng's drawbacks are not problems from their point of view?

9. What does Mary remember happening earlier in the day in October when she and Ned first climbed Meldon Steep?

10. What news does Mary learn from a newspaper clipping that someone sends her in the mail, and why is she so upset by it?

(see the answer keys)

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