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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Section 1: "The Marry Month of May".

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does the narrator call the "most potent weapons of insidious May" (334)?
(a) Warm breezes.
(b) Flowers.
(c) Birds.
(d) Sunny days.

2. Miss Coulson has a "lorgnette" (334). What is a lorgnette?
(a) A piece of jewelry used to hold a scarf or shawl closed.
(b) A high-necked, long-sleeved sweater.
(c) A round, flat case designed to hold medications or tobacco.
(d) Glasses that have a handle instead of ear-pieces.

3. Which of the following literary techniques is used in the title "The Marry Month of May"?
(a) Anaphora.
(b) Paronomasia.
(c) Paraprosdokian.
(d) Synecdoche.

4. What is implied by Mr. Coulson's mention of Palm Beach?
(a) He misses his friends in Palm Beach.
(b) He dislikes New York.
(c) He spends the winter in Palm Beach.
(d) He does not want Mrs. Widdup to go away on vacation.

5. What is the first indication that Mrs. Widdup does not listen carefully?
(a) She does not pay attention to how much medication she is supposed to give Mr. Coulson.
(b) She does not respond to the question that Mr. Coulson asks her.
(c) She thinks that Mr. Coulson is telling her about his feelings for another woman.
(d) She interrupts Mr. Coulson when he is speaking.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the implication of the passage "She blushed. Oh, yes, it can be done. Just hold your breath and compress the diaphragm" (333)?

2. On the final morning of the story, what causes Mr. Coulson's mood to change?

3. According to the narrator, what does May want humans to remember?

4. What is the purpose of the allusion to the "virgin of Cologne" (334)?

5. Whom does the narrator refer to as "the venerable and scarcely suspecting victim of May" (334)?

(see the answer key)

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