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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. Who is the author of "Afterward"?

2. On page 84, the reader learns about the "prodigious windfall" that Ned and Mary experienced. Where did this "prodigious windfall" come from?

3. What is the name of Mary and Ned's house?

4. What detail does the narrator relate as evidence of how much Ned and Mary have yearned for a life like the one they have in England?

5. Why does Mary have a hard time seeing the details of the man's appearance on that day in October?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What does Alida Stair tell the Boynes about Lyng?

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

5. What draws the Boynes to England?

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

7. What horrifying chain of events does Mary understand once she sees Bob Elwell's picture?

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

9. In the narrative present at the beginning of the story, where is Mary and what is she doing?

10. What is the name of Ned's book, and what is the thematic significance of this title?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay that affirms, refutes, or denies the proposition "Although Edith Wharton had enlightened ideas for a woman of her time and social class, her short story 'Afterward' demonstrates that her thinking was still limited by her time and social class." Be sure to give clear textual support for your reasoning.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay that makes and defends a claim about the purpose of the story's structure. Why does it begin with the moment that it begins with? How are flashbacks used, and why? What periods of time are narrated in detail, and which are compressed, and why? Offer textual evidence for your claims.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay that examines the issue of unearned privilege in "Afterward." How far does the story go in its critique of Mary and Ned's lifestyle? Might it have gone further? You may choose to also use evidence about Wharton's own life, depending on the scope of your thesis; if you do so, be sure to cite your sources in MLA format.

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